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CONTENTS 



Prefatory Lines . . 
Shining Pathways 
Confidence in God . 
Christian Optimism 
Wherever and Whatever . 
How to be Unhappy . 
The Word of God . 
Perfect Peace 
Murmur Not . 
An Empty Nest . 
An Evening Meditation 
The Ministry of Cheer . 
My Student Lamp . 
Children at Play . 
My Books 

Our Boy of Five Years 
Cheer for the Despondent 
Mental Pleasures . 
" My Cup Runneth Over" 
An Appeal for Strength 
The Wings of Christ 
God's Messengers 
My True Friend 
My Father's Heart 
The Glorious King . 
From Cross to Crown 



PAGE 

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CONTENTS 



The Saviour's Love . 

A Prayer for Times of Need 

Moses in the Aric of Bulrushes 

The Power of God 

A Morning Prayer . 

An Evening Prayer 

His Will . 

Tears . 

Visions . 

A Call to Prayer . 

Triumph Over Death 

What am I? 

Returning Spring 

A Picture of Spring 

The Resurrection 

A Holiday . 

An Heir of God 

Walking in the Woods 

The Power of Contact 

June 

A June Day Meditation 

Daisies 

Two Summer Servants 

Buttercups . 

A Summer's Day 

A Prayer 

Light After Darkness 

To a Cloud . 



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CONTENTS 



The Lighting of the Stars 
To the Evening Star . 
God's Watchfulness . 

The Rain 

Harvest Time .... 
Do Not Borrow Trouble 

Autumn 

Lines to a Faded Aster 
On Seeing a Faded Leaf . 
The Woods in Autumn 
A Morning Scene 
Walking at Sunset 
Among the Mountains 
Autumn on the Mountains . 
An Autumn Thought 

November 

Somewhere .... 
The Gift of Snow 
The Sound of Sleigh Bells at Night 
Flowers in My Study Window . 
Pennsylvania .... 
Abraham Lincoln 
Memorial Day 
Washington's Birthday 
The Stars and Stripes 
The Flag of Freedom 
Thanksgiving Hymn 
Thanksgiving .... 



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127 
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135 



CONTENTS 



Be Thankful 

A Cause for Thanksgiving 

A Call for Thankfulness . 

The Christmas Message 

A Royal Birthplace . 

An Apostrophe to the Bells 

Sunrise on the Ocean 

On the Strand . 

Homeward Bound . 

The Fisherman's Wife 

Retrospection . 

Redeeming the Time 

The Passing Years . 

Contentment 

Thoughts at Sunset . 

Evening Scenes 

The Pinions of the Lord 

Keep Thou My Lips 

Discipline 

Higher 

The Quiet Hour 

Thy Kingdom Come 

Wait on God . 

The Golden Age . 

The Home Beyond 

"There Shall Be no Night There 

*'And There was no More Sea" 

A Sonnet of Faith 



170 
172 

174 
175 
177 
179 
i8i 

183 
185 
187 



SHINING PATHWAYS 



Prefatory Lines 

I KNOW, my friend, I cannot sing 
Like many famous poet birds, 
Nor mount their glowing sky of words, 

For I have not their breadth of wing. 

But though I cannot sing so fine, 

Nor soar, like them, in wondrous flight. 
My faith in God can show the light 

That doth on every pathway shine. 

Then enter in and welcome be 

To all the cheer my lines enfold ; 
Discard the dross and keep the gold 

That privilege, friend, I give to thee. 



Shining Pathways 

It may be o'er the mountains high 
That thou must go alone, 

Whose upward path beneath the sky- 
Is paved with many a stone ; 

But if thou trusteth in thy God, 
His word will come to pass, 

That for the road thou shalt be shod 
With shoes of iron and brass. 

It may be through a valley deep 

Thy journey's path will lie, 
Where everlasting shadows sleep, 

And vultures feast and fly ; 
But if a faith that cannot fail 

Thou hast, O soul, in God, 
Thy faith to thee within that vale 

Shall be thy strength and rod. 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



Or through a wilderness may be 

The path that thou must walk, 
Where prowling beasts have liberty 

By day and night to stalk ; 
But if thy faith in God shall fill 

Thy bosom to the core, 
The hons' jaws He'll lock, and still 

The thunder of their roar. 

And if thou'rt called to travel far 

Across a stormy sea, 
From which the light of sun and star 

Shall hide itself and flee ; 
Yet trusting in the Lord thy God, 

He'll bring thee joy and peace, 
For winds and waves obey His nod, 

And at His bidding cease. 

There is no place by pilgrims trod 

In all this earth around. 
In which the promises of God 

By faith are never found ; 
Where'er the path of those that trust. 

The land or ocean way. 
It is the pathway of the just 

That shines to perfect day. 



CONFIDENCE IN GOD 



Confidence in God 

Come weal or woe, come joy or pain, 
Come days of light or days of rain, 

My Lord is good and kind : 
Come smiles or disappointment's frown, 
Come loss or gain, come cross or crown, 

I shall a blessing find. 

Whate'er may come, whate'er may be, 
Whate'er may fall from God on me. 

He is my Father still : 
Whate'er His wisdom may assign, 
Whate'er He sends. He is benign, 

And gracious is His will. 

Though He should slay me, I will trust; 
Though tempted Him to call unjust, 

My faith shall never fail : 
Though numerous foes should on me rise. 
Though death should come in darkest guise, 

O'er these I shall prevail. 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



O Father, Thou art Love in name, 
And all Thy ways Thy love proclaim 

With more than trumpet sound ! 
All things that come are good from Thee ; 
Thy will is like a spreading tree 

On which pure fruit is found. 



CHRISTIAN OPTIMISM 



Christian Optimism 

The world is dark or passing fair, 

As we ourselves do make it ; 
We have a joy or find a care, 

Just as we choose to take it ; 
When the meads are bright beneath the blue 

Of over-arching glory, 
Why clothe them in funereal hue. 

And tell a different story ? 
The best of men, their face aglow, 

With all things are contented, 
And by their lives they clearly show 

Their birth they've not repented. 

Some walk along through crowded days. 

As if by all forsaken, 
And choirs of angels, chanting lays. 

No song in them could waken ; 
The world's a dreary place to them. 

It yields no light or pleasure ; 
On smiles they frown, and mirth condemn, 

And pain they count a treasure ; 
In groans and sobs they take delight. 

While happy times are flying, 
And cheerful themes they hurt and blight 

With baneful breath and sighing. 



SHINING PATH IV AYS 



My friend, the woods are full of song. 

The fields with green are shining, 
And gleaming streamlets rush along 

'Tween banks with emerald lining 
The stars of night the skies parade 

In sheen that is a wonder, 
While lightnings often flash and fade 

Without a sound of thunder ; 
Why then a mourner be, whose eyes 

In tears are ever flowing ? 
For God, the Father, kind and wise, 

Thy life with good is sowing. 



IVHEREVER AND IVHATEVER 



Wherever and Whatever 

Where'er my path may lead, 
Through field or wilderness, 

Through desert wild or verdant mead, 
That path Thy love will bless. 

Whate'er may be my cross, 

Though grief of soul or pain, 

Though failure deep, or heavy loss, 
That cross shall bring me gain. 

Where'er may be my place, 

If high it be or low, 
Contentment shall illume my face, 

Thou dost no ill bestow. 

Whate'er may be my life. 

If light or stormy frown, 
If rest, or if the battle's strife. 

That life shall win a crown. 



SHINING PATH IV AYS 



Where'er I be or go, 

Whate'er may come or cease, 
Thy tender grace shall all things show, 

My heart be filled with peace. 

Whate'er may be Thy will, \ 
Though now I cannot see \ 

What purposes Thou wilt fulfill,! 
Thy will is best for me. 



THE IVORD OF GOD 



How to be Unhappy 

If thou wouldst be unhappy, friend, 

And filled with discontent ; 
If thou o'er thorns thy way wouldst wend 

Till all of hfe is spent ; 
If every flower thou wouldst blight 

That smiles on thee in grace, 
And e'en the day wouldst turn to night, 

Away its brightness chase ; 
And also e'en the night wouldst mar, 

Increase the shadows all. 
And banish every twinkUng star. 

Not one of them recall ; 
Then give to thoughts of self thy heart, 

And what the world thee owes, 
And in thy mind, like weeds, will start 

A multitude of woes ! 



II 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



The Word of God 

Men often follow beams untrue 

That lead them into mire, 
As ships a wrongful course pursue, 

When lured by the wrecker's fire : 
Thy Word's a lamp that shineth bright 

To cheer me 'long my way ; 
Attending to its guiding light, 

I cannot go astray. 

The world a feast of sin aflfords. 

It spreads a banquet grand, 
And foolish ones, in Satan's cords, 

Sit there on every hand : 
Thy Word is pure, and far more sweet 

Than honey found in hives, 
And richer than the finest wheat 

That for the harvest thrives. 



12 



THE WORD OF GOD 



The earth gives playthings made of dust, 

That please for one brief day, 
Like burnished crowns that gather rust. 

Like robes that soon decay: 
Thy Word, O Lord, is my delight. 

Its truths are ever new : 
They glow like stars that gild the night. 

Or like the sunlit dew. 

O hoAv I love Thy Word, my Lord ! 

'Tis more than heaps of gold ; 
In keeping it there's great reward, 

It makes Thy servant bold : 
He need not fear, Thou'lt guard his way, 

Who in Thy Word abides. 
And lead him home to lasting day. 

Where danger ne'er betides. 



SHINING PATHl^'AYS 



Perfect Peace 

Thou wilt keep him in peace, peace, whose mind is stayed 
on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3. (Marginal 
Reading.) 

In perfect peace Thou, Lord, wilt keep 

The one whose mind on Thee is stayed ; 

No grief shall cause his eyes to weep, 
His heart shall never be dismayed. 

This peace, O Lord, that Thou dost give 
Is more than peace to those that trust — 

A peace that owns that Thou dost live, 
And also owns that Thou art just. 

Let trials come, like billows strong 

Across a stormy, raging sea, * 

This peace within awakens song 

That bursts in triumph, praising Thee. 

Thus peaceful were those men of old 
That persecution bound with chains. 

For through the prison aisles there rolled 
A hymn to Thee in happy strains. 



14 



PERFECT PEACE 



And hosts of witnesses are found 

That speak of peace, this perfect peace ; 
Through all the earth hath gone their sound, 

Their testimony shall not cease. 

'Tis peace on peace, the peace that falls 
From out the heavens on the saints; 

That lights with joy e'en dungeon walls. 

And quiets murmurings and complaints. 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



Murmur Not 

The day and all its hours are done, 
And done are all its cares ; 

The flaming chariot of the sun 
Its king no longer bears. 

Within their tents the soldier stars 
Have lit their evening lamps, 

The guardians of the warrior Mars 
At rest within their camps. 

And Luna yonder, smiling queen, 
Ascends her throne of light, 

While round her is the lesser sheen 
Of her attendants bright. 

And as she sits in royal state. 

The stars their faces veil. 
Content on her commands to wait. 

And let their glory fail. 

She holds her court through all the night, 
Until the dayspring breaks ; 

And then her robes grow strangely white, 
And she her throne forsakes. 



i6 



MURMUR NOT 



And so, my friend, whoe'er thou art, 
To whom these hnes appear, 

When all thy hopes from thee depart. 
Be filled with patient cheer. 

The shadows of thy life shall grow 
Resplendent with the stars 

That in the heavens grandly glow, 
When night the sunshine bars. 

And even then more light shall fall, 
While night wears slow away ; 

And o'er thy sky a golden ball, 
The sun, shall make new day. 

O heart, be still, and murmur not. 
Thou hast no cause to fret, 

Thy God hath thee ne'er once forgot, 
He never will forget. 



17 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



An Empty Nest 



Within a honeysuckle vine, 

The leaves of which were dead, 
On which the summer light did shine,. 

Upon whose beams it fed, 
I found a nest in which the birds 

Had reared their callow young. 
To which they talked in chirping words. 

And oft sweet morsels flung. 

Deserted now, the nestlings flown, 

The sport of Winter's breath, 
And by it rudely tossed and blown, 

It hung a sign of death ; 
And sorrow filled my heart with pain, 

For 'twas a saddening sight ; 
Yet what seemed loss, in truth, was gain. 

And what seemed dark was light. 



A}^ EMPTY NEST 



These better thoughts went through my mind, 

And brought to me their cheer, 
As sunbeams would upon the blind, 

If vision should appear ; 
That nest I saw in other form, 

While there it hung above, 
Not now a type of death, the norm 

Of life and tender love. 

And so around us, as we tread 

Our onward pilgrim way, 
Are many sights on us to shed 

Inspiring sheen of day ; 
Count nothing lost that God has made. 

He knoweth what is best, 
E'en though its beauty from it fade, 

And leave an empty nest. 



19 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



An Evening Meditation 

The day is done: 
The setting sun 

Is spreading gold along the west ; 
And o'er the sky- 
All homeward fly 

The birds that seek their place of rest. 

The day is o'er, 

And work no more 
The artisans of shop and mill : 

Their labor ceased, 

From toil released. 
Domestic joys their bosoms fill. 

The day departs, 

And night imparts 
To all the earth the shadows deep 

That bring rehef 

From care and grief, 
For these are lost in peaceful sleep. 



20 



AN EVENING MEDITATION 



So shall the day 

That none can stay, 
The longer day of life, depart, 

And silent be, 

My friend, to thee 
The trembling pulses of thy heart. 

And shall that day 

Go on its way 
To leave contentment in its train ? 

Or shall grim Death 

Remove thy breath, 
And free thy soul for lasting pain ? 

O that a day. 

For thus I pray. 
Of splendid sheen may then come down 

On thee, my friend. 

And o'er thee bend 
An angel thee with hfe to crown ! 



21 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



The Ministry of Cheer 

Away on quickened feet, 

A sunbeam from the sky, 

Ran forth a suffering face to greet. 
Swifter than eagles fly. 

It flashed within a room 

Where one long ill had lain ; 

A failing heart forgot its doom, 
And ceased its aching pain. 

A flov/er on the sill 

Was brightened by its smile ; 
And o'er the sick one played a thrill 

That banished care awhile. 

And thou a cheer canst bring, 

Like sunbeams from the skies ; 

In hearts of anguish music ring, 
And dissipate their sighs. 



22 



THE MINISTRY OF CHEER 



Then be alert for deeds 

Of kindness true, divine. 
Thus scattering round the pregnant seeds 

That shall in harvest shine. 

For what is sown in love 

Will surely bring reward 
In the amaranthine fields above — 

The gardens of the Lord. 



23 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



My Student Lamp 

My student lamp I greatly prize, 
Its glow to-night recalls the past, 
For through it memories are cast 

That bring old days before my eyes. 

How quickly fly the years of youth ! 

Their wings are like the flashing light 

That darts through clouds of storm at night 

O lamp of mine, I've learned this truth ! 

For me thou didst illume the page 

Of knowledge with thy fiery beams, 
And wakened in me gorgeous dreams 

Of fame in manhood's future age. 

And thou, O lamp, art still the same. 

While I have changed in thought and form 
Although my heart is yet as warm 

As when I first beheld thy flame. 



24 



MY STUDENT LAMP 



Of earthly crowns I have no thought ; 
To bless my fellow-men I aim, 
Which brings to me a richer fame 

Than that which once I fondly sought. 

To be as Christ the Lord divine, 

And win from Him the radiant prize 
Held forth to view within the skies, 

For this my soul doth long and pine. 

How oft my hand thy wick shall light, 
When evening stars are kindled high, 
I cannot tell, or when shall fly 

My soul aloft from out thy sight. 

Yet beam, O student lamp of mine, 
E'en after I have gone away ; 
Beam on with calm, unflickering ray, 

And know thou didst my soul refine. 



25 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



Children at Play 



The children play along the street, 
And wake the echoes of the air; 

I watch them from my bower retreat, 

And think of them as free from care. 

In fancy drive they steeds of fire, 

And mimic war's wild, fierce alarm ; 

And as the battle rises higher, 

The more intense becomes the charm. 

They change the sport, with child's caprice, 
And sail toy ships the highway down, 

To far-off land, perhaps to Greece, 
Perhaps to some sweet fairy town. 

Play on, my lads, while the hours are bright, 
And sunbeams fall upon your path ; 

Soon life will be an earnest fight, 

And round you rage in sullen wrath. 



CHILDREN AT PLAY 



Life, too, v/ill be an ocean wide, 

And o'er its waves your ships will sail ; 
God grant to you a favoring tide, 

Unruffled by a single gale! 

And in the battle that shall break 

May you the sword most bravely wield, 

Pass on a conqueror's place to take, 
And force the enemy to yield ! 



27 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



My Books 

As knights of old in castles strong 

With pride looked on their arms. 
And memories around would throng. 

Reviving war's alarms ; 
So look I on my books around 

Me on my study walls ; 
And as I gaze my heart doth bound. 

My brain the past recalls. 

Some are the trophies of the days 

When learning was a strife, 
And bring to mind the many frays 

That served to fit for life : 
And these now rest upon the shelf, 

The battle all is done ; 
And I to-day another self, 

Recall the triumphs won. 

But other spoils are hanging here 

My study walls along ; 
And these are cherished more and dear. 

And in me waken song ; 
They are the riches of my heart 

In manhood's deepening days — 
A wealth that doth to me impart 

The mood to speak its praise. 



28 



MY BOOKS 



Let knights within their castles strong 

The past in pride relate ! 
I to a grander age belong, 

And live in better state : 
My books are liner prizes far 

Than glistening spears and shields. 
Than coats of mail or helmets are, 

And each more pleasure yields. 



29 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



Our Boy of Five Years 

Our boy has lustrous eyes 

That beam and glow with love. 

In color like the arching skies, 
When clouds hang not above. 

Our boy has shining hair, 

Aflame with heavenly light, 

For lambent sunbeams nestle there, 
And lend their presence bright. 

Our boy has velvet cheeks. 

Where kisses romp and play, 

And when the mouth their beauty seeksj 
'Tis loth to turn away. 

Our boy has lips whose sweets 

Are like the honey rare 
That bees lay up in their retreats 

From flowers rich and rare. 

Our boy to us doth bring 

Great joys before unknown, 

And we have crowned him as our king ; 
Our hearts are made his throne. 



OUR BOY OF FiyE YEARS 



He rules both you and me, 
We love him to the core ; 

Our love for him is like the sea 
That glistens far from shore. 

Does he our love return ? 

What answer shall I tell ? 
His soul with love for us doth burn ; 

We know it does full well. 

No autocrat is he 

Who wields a tyrant's power ; 
Our footsteps never from him flee, 

We ne'er before him cower. 

And may he reign in peace 

Through all the coming days ! 

And may our love and his ne'er cease 
To be a theme of praise ! 



31 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



Cheer for the Despondent 

One day as I passed along the street, 

My heart a heavy thing, 
A bird on a tree, in music sweet, 

Began to chirp and sing. 

And as on the air the melody rolled, 
My heart grew strangely light. 

Like bubbles that float in tints of gold 
Among the sunbeams bright. 

And so there are songs in all the way 

Of life for mourning ones ; 
The Lord sends His birds with cheering lay 

To sing around His sons. 



32 



MENTAL PLEASURES 



Mental Pleasures 

Among the books that hne the walls 

Within my study here 
I sit, at times, till twilight falls. 

And till the stars appear. 

It is an hour of phantasy. 

And through the shadows wide, 
Like figures in a darkened lea, 

My fancies round me glide. 

Like spirits, in the deepening gloom 
They onward pass, till night 

Fills every space within the room, 
Yet none of them affright. 

They are my friends from out my brain, 
As such they welcome are ; 

Their presence brings no grief or pain, 
Not one would I debar. 

And thus, though one be quite alone, 
He may around him find. 

Unless his heart be turned to stone, 
These pleasures of the mind. 



33 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



"My Cup Runneth Over" 

To Thee, my God and King, 

While heavenward I go, 
My heart shall e'er its tribute bring. 

Thy love and kindness show. 

Thou comest to my soul, 

When I am pressed by foes ; 

Thy strength Thou dost not to me dole. 
My cup with grace o'erflows. 

In sickness and in grief 

Thou dost Thy care bestow ; 

And with the joy that gives relief 
My cup doth overflow. 

Should want to me draw near, 

And scatter wide its woe. 
No chain shall bind my heart with fear. 

My cup will overflow. 



34 



MY CUP RUNNETH OVER 



No gloom my eyes shall dim, 

When Death his shadow throws ; 

My cup Thou'lt fill clear to the brim, 
Until it overflows. 

Thy hand, my life, O Lord, 

With love and kindness sows; 

Through all my days Thou wilt afford 
A cup that overflows. 



35 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



An Appeal for Strength 

O Jesus, Saviour, King, 
Whose praise the angels sing 

In realms of light ! 
Thy throne I bend before, 
With sin my soul at war, 
And strength from Thee implore 

To win the fi?ht. 



The Christian soldier's Friend 
Thou art, and power wilt lend 

To those who seek : 
Thou wilt not turn away 
From those who to Thee pray ; 
Nor wilt Thou answer nay, 

When Thou dost speak. 

Then arm me, mighty Lord, 
With a celestial sword 

For all of life : 
And with this in my hand, 
I'll. boldly take my stand 
Against each hostile band 

In every strife. 



36 



AN APPEAL FOR STRENGTH 



And when the conflict's done, 
And final triumph won, 

Lord, Thee I'll praise: 
The glory give to Thee ; 
And through eternity 
Thy grace my theme shall be 

In grateful lays. 



37 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



The Wings of Christ 

How often would I have gathered thy children together, even 
as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings ! Matt. 23 : 37. 

It pleases me, that phrase of old, 

Which from the lips of Jesus fell ; 

Though set in homely words, 'tis gold ; 
It has the music of a bell. 

To prove His love for sinful men, 

He draws a scene from nature's soil ; 

And by a lowly mother hen 

That love is shown as in a foil. 

What grandeur rises in the thought 

That 'neath His wings I may abide! 

For me the privilege was bought, 

The price was blood from out His side. 

O gather me, my Saviour dear. 

Beneath Thy pinions wide and strong ! 
And nestling there, I shall not fear. 

Though many foes around me throng. 



38 



COD'S MESSENGERS 



God's Messengers 

The winds that in the winter blow. 

All rude and boisterous things. 
The rain that falls, the driving snow. 

All sorrows dire, and stings 
Are messengers from God above, 

Whate'er the form they assume, 
And issue from a heart of love 

With benisons abloom. 

We often fail, howe'er to see 

These angels in disguise, 
That come from out eternity 

To make us truly wise ; 
We do not look their robes within. 

Discerning wondrous light ; 
We judge them all to be akin 

To shadows of the night. 



39 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



Yet all the while, with patient mien. 

These servants of the Lord, 
In secret holding grandest sheen, 

Concealing their reward, 
Are waiting for our hands to tear 

The veils that hide their face^ 
Supernal glory seeing there, 

And lineaments of grace. 

O learn the lesson, troubled ones ! 

That God is good and wise ; 
And that the sorrows of His sons 

Should not give birth to sighs ; 
A Christian's griefs have ever been 

Like geodes to the sight, 
All rough without, but full within 

Of crystal gems of light. 



40 



MY TRUE FRIEND 



My True Friend 

When my heart is worn with grief, 
And the clouds are hanging low, 

Christ, my Saviour, gives relief, 
And new joys begin to flow. 

He's my Friend, and ever near. 
Lending aid in sorrow's hour : 

And His presence brings me cheer. 
Like the light upon a flower. 

He will never me forsake. 

As the friends of earthly name, 

Who, when troubles sore awake, 

Often lose true friendship's flame. 

Though a cross should bear me down. 
Though a host of foes should laugh, 

Though I wear a thorny crown, 

Though my riches turn to chaff, 

He my Friend will ever prove. 
Near my side will ever be ; 

Nothing can His friendship move ; 
*Tis a rock within the sea. 



41 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



My Father's Heart 

Thou art, O God, my joy and light 
In every time of grief and fear ; 

Thy smile illumes the darkest night, 

And brightly gilds each falling tear. 

Thy tender hand my sorrow quells, 
And smooths my trouble into rest, 

Till sweetly ring, like evening bells. 

The notes of peace within my breast. 

Thy loving voice, like music chords 
That float their melody in air, 

A thrill to all my soul affords. 
And banishes my every care. 

Thou hast for me a father's heart ; 

And leaning on Thy bosom warm. 
Thou wilt to me Thy grace impart, 

Whenever trials break in storm. 



42 



THE GLORIOUS KING 



The Glorious King 

We worship the Lord enthroned high above, 
Whose sceptre is swayed in wisdom and love, 
Our King most illustrious and worthy of praise ; 
The angels surround Him, their voices upraise. 

All things Him obey. His will is supreme, 

The skies and the winds, the lightnings that 

gleam ; 
He speaks in the thunder and shakes the whole 

earth, 
The clouds hold His treasures, to flowers give 

birth. 

His footprints are made in the ocean's wide path, 
The sunbeams His smile, the tempest His wrath ; 
The billows His power full well understand. 
He levels their heads by a sign from His hand. 

How glorious our King and mighty His ways ! 
How should we to Him lift up our glad lays ! 
This King is our Father — O wonderful thought ! — 
His love brought salvation, our freedom hath 
bouo^ht. 



43 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



From Cross to Crown 

If so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glori- 
fied together. Romans 8:17. 

Jesus, Saviour, crucified 

By a host of hellish foes, 
Torn Thy feet and hands and side, 

All for me Thy many woes, 
Shall I fear to share with Thee 

Sorrow's pangs and trials sore ? 
Shall I from my troubles fiee, 

Suffering with Thee nevermore ? 

What am I that I should ask 

To be free from grief and pain ? 
Can it be an irksome task 

Thee to serve, or is it vain ? 
Am I better than wast Thou, 

Lord of lords and King of kings. 
Wearing thorns upon Thy brow, 

And enduring all their stings ? 



44 



FROM CROSS TO CROJVN 



Give me courage, blessed Lord ! 

Never Thee may I forsake, 
Even though a flaming sword 

To my heart its way should make 
May I carry any cross 

Laid upon my shoulders down, 
Well prepared to take the loss 

That shall gain a heavenly crown. 



45 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



The Saviour's Love 

O Thou the chiefest 'mong the throngs 
Of earth or heaven, lovely, fair, 

To Thee we hft our even songs, 

And breathe to Thee our evening prayer. 

We bless Thee for Thy wondrous love, 
And seek to have more love to Thee ; 

For us Thou earnest from above, 
And died upon the cruel tree. 

O when we think of Thy great shame, 

The cross, the nails, the thorny crown, 

We laud and magnify Thy name, 

And sing the love that brought Thee down I 

But when we think of our poor hearts 

So destitute of love's return. 
Our spirit sinks and guilty starts, 

And blushes on our faces burn. 

O Christ, to us give love to Thee 

That shall possess our inmost soul, 

A love whose depth is like the sea, 

O'er which the tempests vainly roll. 



46 



A TRAYER FOR TIMES OF NEED 



A Prayer for Times of Need 

When clouds above between the sun 
And earth outspread their colors dun, 

And curtain all my light, 
Thy face, O Lord, lift Thou on me, 
Till all the noisome shadows flee ; 
And then Thy glory I shall see, 

Enraptured with the sight. 

When foes shall beat against my heart. 
And hurtles there each flying dart 

My faith to overthrow, 
Encircle me, O Lord, with might, 
Till these retreat in quickened flight. 
Like gloom when sunbeam rays bedight 

The heavens with their glow. 

When trial's hammer, great and stark, 
Descends on me, a quivering mark 

For every thundering blow 
That pounds upon the stithy's block. 
May I, O Lord, receive the shock, 
Believing that each sturdy knock 

Will make my graces show. 



47 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



When disappointments round me crowd. 
And when my head in grief is bowed, 

Like grasses 'neath the gale, 
Still may I trust, have no despair,' 
Cast off my fears and every care ; 
And plume my soul with fervent prayer 

Through joyous heights to sail. 

Yea, Lord, let come e'en blighting death 
To pinch my heart and seize my breath, 

And lay me in the grave ; 
Within the monster's face I'll fling 
The challenge, " Death, where is thy sting ? 
While near me shining angels sing, 

And victory's banner wave. 



48 



MOSES IN THE ARK OF BULRUSHES 



Moses in the Ark of Bulrushes 

Upon the bosom of the Nile a httle boat 
A mother's hand in faith, yet trembling, set afloat ; 
And eager eyes upon it gazed that olden day, 
As on the silvery stream, upborne 'mong flags, 
it lay. 

Strange cradle that in which an infant form to 

rock, 
To feel the motion of the wavelets and their shock, 
Perchance to be an object that a monster's ire 
Would crush with flaming jaws, or trample in the 

mire ! 

But He who guides along their shining track the 

stars, 
And sets the oceans in their bounds with mighty 

bars. 
The God of Israel, great and strong, watched o'er 

that ark. 
For in it slumbered there from heaven a vital 

spark. 

Those puny hands were yet to strike a deathful 

blow 
Against a tyrant's power, and Jehovah show 
As God supreme o'er all of Egypt and the earth ; 
From Pharaoh Israel free, and give a nation birth. 



49 



SHINING PATHU/AYS 



And yonder far along the centuries of time 
Is seen the issue of that Hebrew's faith sublime, 
For out of it for slaves came glorious liberty, 
And out of this again the Cross the world to free. 

So tossing there upon the Nile, his mother nigh, 
And hushed to slumber by the wavelets' lullaby. 
The infant Moses slept in peace that ancient hour. 
While in his heart grew freedom's germ in grace 
to flower. 



50 



THE POIVER OF GOD 



The Power of God 

The Lord is King o'er all the world. 
The clouds His chariots are ; 

His banner's in the skies unfurled, 
And floats in every star. 

He wieldeth bolts of thunder great. 
And hurls them from His hand ; 

He rides upon the storm in state, 
Or tramps along the land. 

His messengers are tempests wild, 
That rush with swiftest wing; 

Or zephyrs, blowing soft and mild. 
Their tidings to Him bring. 

The ocean rolls at His command, 
The waves obey His will. 

And beat in rage upon the strand. 
Or smooth become and still. 

O let us praise this mighty One, 
To Him lift up our songs ! 

He is our God, our Shield, our Sun, 
To Him our praise belongs. 



51 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



A Morning Prayer 

As now the earth hath turned away 

From all nocturnal gloom, 
And everywhere the beams of day 

The skies and fields illume, 
So, Lord, my soul reverts to Thee, 

The Source of heavenly light ; 
Uplift Thy glowing face on me, 

And banish all my night ! 

Before Thee, Lord, these early hours 

My soul receptive waits, 
As for their coming king the flowers 

Stand waiting at his gates; 
And when with flashing hand he opes 

His palace doors of flame. 
From garden spots and verdant slopes 

They praise his glorious name. 



52 



A MORNING PRAYER 



So come, O God, Thou greater King, 

To bless this soul of mine ! 
And then my grateful heart will sing 

To Thee, my Lord divine : 
In radiant beauty I shall go. 

And in Thy hkeness be, 
Reflecting here on earth below 

The hght that shines in Thee. 

Thus up I breathe my praying voice 

To Thee at early morn ; 
Thy righteousness I make my choice 

For all the hours unborn : 
And Thou, O Lord, wilt hear my cry, 

It meets Thy holy mind; 
So while the sun surmounts the sky 

I seek, and seek to find. 



53 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



An Evening Prayer 
Luke 24: 13-35 

As low the light of day descends, 
And fall the shadows wide; 

As now, O Lord, the journey ends, 
With me, I pray, abide ! 

The path together we have walked 
Throughout the sunny day ; 

And Thou of heavenly things hast talked 
Abide Thou here, I pray ! 

My heart hath burned, as yonder burn 

The stars within the sky ; 
And still, O Lord, my soul doth yearn 

To have Thy presence nigh ! 

A plenteous board I cannot spread 

Before Thee as my Guest ; 
But in the breaking of the bread 

I shall myself be blest ! 



54 



AN EP^ENING PRAYER 



This very eve come with me sup, 
Whate'er may be the fare ; 

And in the lifting of the cup 
I shall a blessing share ! 

Abide with me through all the night, 
And converse with me hold. 

Until the sun the eastern height 
Shall climb in robes of gold ! 

Yea, gracious Master, e'er abide 
With me and be my Friend ! 

I wish no other friend beside 

With whom my life to blend. 

Thou hast a charm of voice and speech 
That thrills me to the core ; 

Hear Thou my prayer, I now beseech, 
Abide till life be o'er ! 



55 



SHINING PATHPVAYS 



His Will 

My Lord, O let Thy will 

Be ever done in me! 
Thy gracious plans fulfill, 

Whate'er those plans may be ; 
Thou knowest what is best 

For every child of Thine ; 
I shall for aye be blest. 

Thy wisdom is divine. 

Though dark should grov/ the skies, 

And lightnings through them dart. 
And tears bedew these eyes. 

Because of pain at heart, 
O may my hand take hold 

Of Thine more firmly still ! 
And faith wax strong and bold 

To Buffer all Thy will ! 



56 



HIS WILL 



Should disappointment blight 

Each purpose fond of mine, 
And should there come a night 

Through which no stars can shine, 
Still may I trust in Thee, 

While o'er the shadows fly, 
Until the dawn I see 

In splendor rift the sky ! 

Whate'er the lot may be 

That here Thy loving will 
Shall choose and mark for me, 

E'en though it nearly kill, 
Afford me plenteous grace 

Thy kindness. Lord, to know, 
That with a smihng face 

I may that kindness show ! 



57 



SHINING PATHV/AYS 



Tears 

V/eeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the 
morning. Ps. 30 : 5. 

The eyes that know of sorrow naught, 

Are not the truly blest, 
For tears with joy are often fraught, 

And furnish life with zest. 

The tears that weep o'er sinful stains 

Upon an erring heart, 
Are like the gently showering rains 

That make the flowers start. 

The tears that fall beneath the rod 

A heavenly Father wields, 
Are like the dew upon the sod 

Within the smiling fields. 

The tears that flow around the bier 
Of one whose breath is gone, 

Like glasses fine, draw heaven near 
Upon the sense to dawn. 



58 



TEARS 



The tears that drop in any night 

Of trial or of woe, 
If saintly ones, are fired with light. 

And richest beauty show. 

There may a season be of pain, 
And counted not as blest; 

But when the gloomy shadows wane, 
The day doth bring a guest. 



59 



shijVing pathways 



Visions 

As the traveler lay him down 

'Neath the stars' resplendent show. 
Wrapped about in shepherd's gown, 

Seeing angels come and go 
'Long a stairway reaching high, 

Up to heaven's gates of gold, 
So do visions from the sky 

Yet their beauty rich unfold. 

To the weary pilgrim soul, 

Traveling to the better land, 
Longing for the shining goal 

At the Lord's almighty hand, 
God affords a blissful sight, 

Cheering him along the way, 
Of the heavens full of light, 

Streaming from eternal day. 



60 



VISIONS 



Heaven comes within our dreams, 

Angel forms around us crowd ; 
And the desert brightly gleams, 

More than when there is no cloud : 
Songs of night we gladly sing. 

Even when in fetters bound, 
And the notes of triumph ring 

Through our prison walls around. 

All the air the saints about 

Peopled is with radiant forms ; 
And the soul may laugh and shout 

In the midst of thickest storms : 
Therefore in the Lord we'll boast, 

Mention of His kindness make. 
Round us is a heavenly host, 

When we sleep and when we wake. 



6i 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



A Call to Prayer 

Softly through the evening air 

Comes the voice of distant bells, 

Music waking sweetly there, 

Every note of worship tells. 

For those bells from out their height 
Speak of God, and call to prayer, 

Filling all the silent night 

With the message that they bear. 

Borne their notes upon the wind. 

Penetrating far and near ; 
Hope they bring to those who've sinned, 

To despondent ones their cheer. 

Hark ! the sound increases now, 
Veers the breeze another way, 

Summoning farther ones to bow 
Unto God, and to Him pray. 

Soft again their message falls — 

Changing are the winds to-night- 
Westward now they ring their calls, 
Then the echoes take their flight. 



62 



A CALL TO PRAYER 



Hushed the bells, and still their tongues, 
Ceased each note upon the ear: 

Mount, my soul, prayer's golden rungs ! 
Climb to God, to Him draw near ! 

Yonder hand that swung those bells 
Had no thought perhaps of me, 

But his music wrought its spells, 
Made a soul its duty see. 

So one's deeds or words may be 

Fraught with influence all unknown, 

Lasting as eternity, 

Lifting souls to Heaven's throne. 



63 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



Triumph Over Death 

As the shades of evening fall, 

When the day its course hath run, 
And upon this earthly ball 

Night her reign hath then begun, 
So shall Death his shadows bring 

Round this mortal frame of mine, 
Wounding it with cruel sting, 

And in darkness it confine. 

But my soul shall v/ing its flight 

Where no gloom can ever rise, 
In the realms of lasting light, 

Far beyond these earthly skies ; 
And my dust within the ground, 

Sleeping through the ages there, 
At the call of Christ shall bound. 

And immortal beauty wear. 



64 



IVHAT AM I? 



What Am U 

When up I look and view the stars, 
Fair Venus, Jupiter and Mars, 

And all the hosts that stud the sky, 
My tongue exclaims with him of old. 
Who wrote with pen of heavenly gold, 

" Before these, Lord, O what am I ? 
Why dost Thou visit me, O Lord ? 
And why to me Thy care afford ?" 

Then, in the presence of these lights 
That flame along the vaulted heights, 

There comes to me a voice divine. 
And whispers softly to my soul, 
" Yon orbs that o'er the heavens roll. 

And in their path with splendor shine, 
Are less than thou, immortal one. 
For thee I've called to be My son." 



65 



SHINING PATHJV/iYS 



Returning Spring 

I HEAR a voice to-day 

That in the south wind calls ; 
And shackled flowers that voice obey^ 

As down their prison falls. 

I see a wand to-day 

Held forth in queenly hand ; 
And troops of grass line all the wa^r 

In fields and meadow land. 

I hear a sound to-day, 

The sound of tramping feet ; 
And bannered trees their ranks array 

All through the woods and street* 

I see a flash to-day 

Along the brooks and rills ; 
And all the streams in festive play 

Are leaping down the hills. 

I hear the notes to-day 

Of birds in carols poured, 

To heaven sending up their lay 
In praise of God the Lord. 



66 



RETURNING SPRING 



I see His love to-day, 

The love of God the King; 

The springtime months that love display, 
As they their grandeur bring. 

I hear once more to-day 

A voice within the breeze, 
A voice divine that bids me pray, 

And sends me to my knees. 



67 



SHINING PA THIVA YS 



A Picture of Spring 

Along the valleys, up the hills 

The grass unrolls its shining green ; 
The smiling brooks and laughing rills 
Leap seaward in their flashing sheen 

And everywhere, 

Through all the air, 

With wings of light, 

Make joyous flight 
Returning birds of springtide days, 
Or from the boughs trill forth their lays. 

The orchards witching beauty wear. 

As if had dawned a bridal hour ; 
The passing breezes fragrance bear 
From every tinted, bursting flower 

And all around 

The furrowed ground 

Shakes off the rime 

Of winter time, 
And from the wardrobes of the sun 
Dons garments by the rainbow spun. 



68 



A PICTURE OF SPRING 



The woods upon the air fling out, 

Their gorgeous banners, furled so long, 
To celebrate a tyrant's rout, 

Whose power now can work no wrong ; 

And towards the sky, 

Aspiring high. 

Those banners spring. 

As if on wing, 
To bathe their folds in richer air. 
And with the light its glory share. 

O gladsome Springtide, fair and sweet. 

What magic arts are thine to-day. 
As coming forth from thy retreat, 

Thou dost all things in grace array ! 

We welcome thee 

Most heartily ; 

And sing thy praise 

These balmy days. 
For thou, the messenger of God, 
Hast freed the earth from Winter's rod. 



69 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



The Resurrection 

The Lord is risen from the grave ! 
Let radiant Spring her banners wave 

In honor of the day ! 
Let bursting flowers in mead and vale 
With perfumed breath the Saviour hail, 

And glory fine display! 

The grass that greens the sloping hills 
And richly lines the sparkling rills 

The wondrous fact proclaims ; 
Through frost and snow that held it down 
It rose, and gained the emerald crown 

That now with beauty flames. 

So Christ, the mighty Lord, arose, 
Triumphant over all the foes 

That swayed o'er Him their rod, 
Ascending high through heaven's gate 
In majesty and royal state. 

The everlasting God. 



70 



THE RESURRECTION 



O clap your hands, ye forest trees ! 
Let every swiftly passing breeze 

The echoes bear away ! 
And you, O men of all the earth, 
To resurrection notes give birth, 

And bless the Lord to-day ! 



71 



SHINING PATH IV AYS 



A Holiday 

A PEACEFUL morn it is around, 

The sky's a deep cerulean hue, 

And for the woods I'm gladly bound 

To breathe pure air and Nature woo. 

Away from the haunts of busy trade, 

And all that makes the world seem wild. 

My footprints shall in joy be made, 

And I shall be sweet Nature's child. 

I will not at these radiant hours 

Be at my desk and con my books ; 

I'll go and court the balmy flowers, 

And lay me down by purling brooks. 

O no, I will not be this day 

A serf in chains and grinding care; 
From my study door I'll hie away. 

And be as free as the summer air. 



72 



A HOLIDAY 



To all that move the hand or brain 

Such times make life more bright and keen, 
Like gently falling sprays of rain 

That lend the grass a richer sheen. 

That soul is dead that has no thrill 

In the presence of fair Nature's face ; 

His heart is gone, his pulses still, 

And in the grave should be his place. 



73 



SHINING PATH IV AYS 



An Heir of God 

And if children, then heirs. Romans, 8 : 17. 

I LOOK around to-day 

As far as eye can see, 
And view, in all their fine array, 

The gifts of God to me. 

I own the emerald fields 

Before my vision spread, 
And all the wealth that each one yields, 

For so my Lord hath said. 

I own the woods beyond. 

My pride is in its trees ; 
I own the ferns that wave their frond 

In greeting to the breeze. 

I own the brooks and rills 

That flow in silver sheen ; 

I own the everlasting hills 

Enrobed in flashing g:reen. 



74 



A}^ HEIR OF GOD 



I own the birds in air, 

And all the flowers bright ; 
Possessions round me everyv/here 

Come out before my sight. 

I own the whole of earth, 

And all that it doth hold ; 

My riches far exceed the worth 
Of mountain heaps of gold. 

The clouds above I own, 

And all beyond their height ; 

And to my faith a crown and throne 
Await my upward flight. 

For God hath given me 

A soul that cannot die ; 
And blessed v/ith immortality, 

His chosen heir am I. 



75 



SHINING PATHjyAYS 



Walking in the Woods 

A PLEASURE 'tis when the woods are green 

To v/alk their aisles along, 
And step upon the flashing sheen 
That falls from hanging boughs between. 
Lending grandeur to the scene ; 

I there can think no wrong. 

These forest temples, wide and high, 
Beneath the sunlight's glare, 

Whose pillar trees reach towards the sky. 

While o'er them, swiftly moving by, 

Vapors on white pinions fly, 
To me my God declare. 

Such wondrous paths I cannot tread, 

Or on their beauty gaze, 
Without inclining low my head, 
And being by the Spirit led, 
Finding there the heavenly bread 

That comes to him who prays. 



76 



IV^LKING IN THE P/OODS 



These wooded solitudes proclaim 
The Lord in marvelous tale ; 
The sculptured trees uplift His name 
In summer green, in autumn flame, 
Ever glowing with His fame, 
E'en 'neath the wintry gale. 



77 



SHINING PATHIV/IYS 



The Power of Contact 

O ZEPHYR mild of summer hours ! 

Whence came thy fragrance sweet ? 
The breeze repHes : " I kissed the flowers 

In gardens down the street." 

O sunbeam, sparkling round me here ! 

Whence came thy radiance bright? 
It answers me : " From heavens clear, 

Unshadowed by the night." 

O bird that sings in joyous notes ! 

Whence came thy lay that thrills ? 
" My parents had it in their throats ; 

I learned it from their bills." 

Would we be sweet, and also bright, 

And melody impart ? 
Sweet things and fair we must not slight, 

And music store in heart. 



78 



JUNE 



June 

The queen of all the months art thou, 
With garlands roseate on thy brow, 

And sitting on thy throne in grace ; 
A month whose smiles the fields illume, 
And one in which no wintry gloom 

Can lift aloft its scowling face. 

The lilting birds within the trees 
Outpour the richest melodies, 

And trill their chorals in thy praise ; 
While purling brooklets flow along, 
And gratefully their meed of song 

Give unto thee through all thy days. 

The woods their gonfalons unfurl, 
Which softly playing zephyrs curl. 

In honor of thy royal reign ; 
And, now and then, across the sky, 
The pregnant clouds, as on they fly. 

Send down on thee their treasured sain. 



79 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



The yellow butterflies in air 
Flit to and fro without a care, 

Qr rest themselves on daisies white ; 
And fireflies in the starry eve 
Through all the shadows deftly weave 

Their gleaming threads of golden light. 

The emerald fields increase in sheen, 
And deeper grows the beauteous green 

That upward springs to kiss the sun ; 
Then sound the notes of harvest joy, 
And men the shining hours employ, 

Till haying time is o'er and done. 

O balmy June, thou art, I ween, 

By Heaven's decree ordained the queen 

Of every month within the year! 
A type of life beyond the earth, 
Where cometh naught of want or dearth. 

And all the days are full of cheer. 



^o 



A JUNE DAY MEDITATION 



A June Day Meditation 

There's beauty everywhere to-day, 
In mead and vale, along the way ; 
The touch of magic hands 
Hath broken winter's bands, 
And banished every trace and print of death. 

There's fragrance in the air lo-day ; 
The summer breezes in their play 

Have kissed the blooming flowers, 
And all the sunny hours 
Are laden with the sweetness of their breath. 

There's glory in the sky to-day, 
No tinge of darkness or of gray 
To mar the lustrous light 
That makes the heavens bright ; 
And so God's world beyond, for thus He saith. 



8i 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



Daisies 

I LOVE the daisies white ; 

They make the June days bright, 

As if the snow 

Had fallen low 
From out the heaven's height. 

They stand and nod to me 
From all the fields I see 

This summer's day, 

In pure array, 
As sweet as they can be. 

How rich their petals are ! 
Their rays are like a star 

With disc of gold ; 

In all the wold 
They shine, both near and far.. 



82 



DAISIES 



The farmer in dismay 
Beholds them at their play 
And with a frov/n 
He mows them down, 
Because they make no hay. 

But God hath use, I trow. 
For all things here below 

Of every shade ; 

And He hath made 
The daisies upward grow. 



83 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



Two Summer Servants 

Thou comest here, O gentle breeze, 

To fan my brow, 

My servant thou, 
While I, thy master, take my ease. 

And thou, O blooming, fragrant rose, 

Regalest me 

With odors free, 
As o'er thy form the zephyr blows. 

How happy I this summer's hour, 

And doubly blest, 

While courting rest, 
To have such servants, breeze and flower ! 

But God hath given both to me, 

And Him I praise 

For all His ways ; 
His love is wider than the sea. 



84 



BUTTERCUPS 



Buttercups 

To-day o'er all the verdant meads 

The buttercups their blooms unfold, 

Appearing there like countless beads 
Agleam with burnished gold. 

Along the banks, where in between 

The shimmering brooklets onward run, 

Tliey shine and glow in wondrous sheen, 
Like sparks from out the sun. 

As if by fairy fingers sown, 

They fringe the beaten path I tread, 
And cluster round each wayside stone 

With crowns upon their head. 

Ye flowers that bloom in grace to-day, 
To me ye all a lesson teach — 

That Solomon, in grand array, 

Your splendor could not reach. 

And if so clotheth you the Lord 

In more than royal majesty. 
Shall not His kindness e'er afford 

A fitting robe for me ? 



85 



SH!Ml?>IG PAT HIV AYS 



A Summer's Day 

The breezes play 

Along ihe way 

This summer's day, 
As children do, without a care ; 

They come and go, 

And to and fro 

They softly blow, 
And breathe upon me fragrance rare. 

The grasses green, 

In wondrous sheen, 

A restful scene 
Afford these weary eyes of mine ; 

And on this day 

They seem to say, 

From books away 
Turn thou, and see us as we shine. 

The butterflies, 

In gorgeous dyes, 

Now upward rise, 
And flit abroad on capering wings ; 

They brush the air, 

And beauty bear. 

As everywhere 
They go, arrayed like storied kings. 



86 



A SUMMER'S DAY 



Along the sky, 

As eagles fly 

O'er mountains high, 
The clouds are passing fair and white ; 

And as they gleam, 

I pause to dream, 

Until they seem 
Like heavenly mansions golden bright. 

And thus the day 

Doth pass away. 

Till twilight gray 
Its star-embroidered curtain flings 

Athwart the sky ; 

And then I sigh 

That night is nigh 
To hide these glories 'neath her wings. 



37 



SHINING PATH IV AYS 



A Prayer 

A POET strolled at break of day- 
Through woodlands green to muse and pray : 
The dew was on the grass and trees, 
And round his brow played morning's breeze. 
Which bore to him, as on he strolled, 
The breath of the fields in perfume roiled, 
For through the air that summer's morn 
Were wafted sweets from the acres torn 
By the reaper's scythe another day — 
The odorous scent of new-mown hay. 

And as he caught the fragrant air. 
He moved his lips in fervent prayer : 
" O Lord, Thou art a Reaper grand 
Whose arm sweeps wide o'er every land ; 
And down Thou dost in windrows lay 
The frames of men, and none can stay 
Thy swinging arm, or check its power: 
But when shall come my dying hour. 
And all my pulses in me fail, 
May I, like the grass, my life exhale ! " 



88 



LIGHT AFTER DARKNESS 



Light after Darkness 

At evening-, in the sunset's glow, 

The clouds around were hanging low : 

The rain all day in torrents fell 

On fields and woods and shady dell ; 

But now the floods had ceased to pour, 

And the clouds with light were gilded o'er 

The Artist, God, a picture fair, 

With cords of fire had hung in air: 

And while I looked there came a dream, 
All brightened with the sunset's gleam : 
I saw a vision not of earth — 
A vision of celestial birth — 
Whose scenes were laid with flashing gold ; 
And as the dream these views unrolled, 
I thanked the Lord for sunset rays. 
And my glad heart awoke in praise. 

What saw I there within the skies ? 
The dream was only for my eyes ; 
But this I learned, O happy sight ! 
That after darkness comes the light ; 
That after pain God gives a balm, 
And after storms He giveth calm ; 
The hand of God a sunset paints 
Before the soul in terror faints. 



89 



SHINING PATHJVAYS 



To a Cloud 

O'er yonder height, 

Aflame with light, 
O beauteous cloud, thou sailest on * 

With wings of white, 

A pleasing sight, 
More graceful than a floating swan ; 

And as I see thee there, 

So virgin-like and fair. 

My soul leaps up to thee 

In thrilling ecstasy ; 
And in my heart there swells a grateful song 
To Him whose breath doth waft thy form along. 



90 



THE LIGHTING OF THE STARS 



The Lighting of the Stars 

The stars are kindled one by one 

Within the sky, 
As if the slowly setting sun 

Had flung on high 
A thousand sparks of beaming light, 

And these had flown 
Through all the shadowed space of Night, 

And round her throne 

They each had sown 
Their brilliant rays, then ceased their flight. 



91 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



To The Evening Star 

Thou walkest up the stairs of night 
In trailing garments gemmed with light 

To seek thy waiting throne ; 
And 'neath the flashes of thine eyes 
Thy stellar courtiers in the skies 
Thy crown and power own, 

Saluting thee 

On bended knee 

With dignity, 
And by the act their love to thee make known. 



GOD'S IVATCHFULNESS 



God's Watchfulness 

The flowers close their eyes 
Beneath the evening skies, 

And go to sleep ; 
While overhead the stars, 
Till dawn their brilHance mars, 

Climb heaven's steep. 

The birds no longer sing ; 
They fold each weary wing, 

Their flying ceased, 
Until the breaking day 
The first enlightening ray 

Sends up the east. 

Both slumbering birds and flowers 
Through all the shadowed hours 

Of kindly night 
Are safe, and so am I, 
For God is ever nigh 

To show His might. 



93 



SHINING PATHJVAYS 



He knoweth naught of sleep 
Who doth His Israel keep 

As chosen friends ; 
By day the Lord's our shade. 
And when the day doth fade. 

He still defends. 



94 



THE RAIN 



The Rain 

The driving rain ! 

From lowering clouds it pours» 

Upon the roof it roars, 
And beats against my study pane. 

The drenching rain ! 

It falls in copious showers. 
But 'twill awake the flowers ; 

It never comes to earth in vain. 

The blessed rain ! 

There's joy in all its drops ; 

They tell of plenteous crops 
In harvest time to load the wain. 

The heavenly rain ! 

Sent earthward from above 

In messages of love ; 
It bears to men no word of pain. 

The sparkling rain ! 

The silvery smile of wealth ; 

It brings both cheer and health, 
And shines with promises of gain. 



95 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



Melodious rain! 

Its music charms my ear, 

While in my study here, 
As sound its notes upon my brain. 

The rhythmic rain ! 

Of God and grace it sings, 
And blessing rare it brings: 

Why murmur then, or why complain? 



96 



HARyEST TIME 



Harvest Time 

A FIELD of golden wheat I see, 

And silvery prongs are flashing there : 
And harvesters give shouts of glee 
That echo round and come to me 

In waving music through the air. 

For though in toil they toss the grain, 

< Yet joy is beaming from their eyes ; 
Their brawny arms will load each wain 
With yellow wealth and labor's gain, 
Till Hke a mountain it shall rise. 

And then, with all this treasure filled, 

The train along the way will pass ; 
And lissome hands the barn will gild, 
For so the harvest's Lord hath willed. 

With bundled sheaves, a towering mass. 

The world's a field, and in it we 
Are sowing seeds of good or ill, 

That, ripened in eternity. 

For then the garnering is to be, 

Our hearts with joy or pain shall fill. 



97 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



Then sow not to the flesh, my friend. 

The Holy Spirit's aid employ ; 
Be righteousness thy aim and end, 
Of all thy thoughts the source and trend. 
If thou wouldst reap everlasting joy. 



98 



DO NOT BORROW TROUBLE 



Do Not Borrow Trouble 

The days of summer go, 

And soon will come the fall ; 

Then Winter high will heap his snow, 
And build his icy wall. 

But while the days are bright, 

And the flowers spread their leaves, 
We should not mind the coming night, 

But gather in the sheaves — 

The sheaves of good and joy. 
The sheaves of pleasure, too ; 

And thus the passing time employ, 
While harvest days are few. 

The pains of life are these : 

We often chafe and fret, 
And make ourselves most ill at ease 

With troubles still unmet. 

There is a better way : 

In God our trust to place ; 

On Him our anxious minds to stay, 
Whatever comes apace. 



99 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



Autumn 

The sun is kissing now 

His sweetheart flowers good-bye, 
As dying pallor mounts their brow 

Beneath his love-lit eye. 

The trees are fading fast, 

Their leaves a winding sheet : 
The summer's gone, the harvest past, 

'Tis seen in field and street. 

The winds are blowing cold, 

They sweep the forests clean ; 

And vandal frosts, becoming bold. 
Are stripping all things green. 

The sheriff of the year, 

In spite of all this woe, 

Will soon upon the scene appear. 
And lock the land with snow. 

He cannot seize hope, howe'er ; 

That is beyond his power ; 
The woods again shall beauty wear, 

The gardens burst in flower. 



loo 



LMES TO A FADED ASTER 



Lines to a Faded Aster 

Thou wast an aster in the earth, 
A star in grace and name; 

But now departed is thy worth, 
And sullied is thy fame. 

One plucked thee, O thou star of day, 
And thought to keep thy charm ; 

But, lo, thy beauty passed away ! 
His fingers wrought thee harm. 

Within a garden thou didst glow 
With radiance soft and bright ; 

Alas, thy beams no longer show ! 
And vanished is thy light. 

Thou art a spoiled and withered thing, 

A piteous flower to see ; 
And thou again shalt never bring 

Thy blooming sheen to me. 

'Twere better far to let thee grow 

Within thy native earth, 
Where thou couldst be a star below, 

And honor give thy birth. 



loi 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



I'll bid thee now my heart's good-bye, 
And bless thee for thy cheer ; 

And would that in thy shaded eye 
There were an answering tear ! 



1 02 



ON SEEING A FADED LEAF 



On Seeing a Faded Leaf 

'TwAS but a leaf with edges torn, 

And cast upon the ground, 
Yet once it was in beauty born, 

And was with emerald crowned. 

It sat, a prince enthroned on high, 
And breathed 'mid royal state ; 

But frost and wind beneath the sky 
Wrought out its bitter fate. 

Its crown was dimmed by icy breath, 

Its glory passed away. 
And on the ground, all stained with death, 

In mire and dust it lay. 

And as I saw this withered thing 
Thus loosed and trodden down, 

I thought of passions and their sting 
And men with sullied gown. 

How many souls most nobly born 

Become to sin a prey, 
And with no care of future scorn 

Their virtue toss away ! 



SHINING PATHU^AYS 



The leaf, howe'er, had lived its time» 
And served its mission well ; 

Then God upon it sent the rime, 
And thus it died and fell. 

But tempted men, and women, too, 
A crown of knowledge wear, 

And when they fall, their death they woo. 
And cause their own despair. 



104 



THE WOODS IN AUTUMN 



The Woods in Autumn 

When through the woods, on rambling feet, 

I pass on these autumnal days, 
I miss the songs that once so sweet 

Resounded here in chorus praise. 

These stretching aisles of pillar trees 
To music tones are strangely still ; 

And through them sweeps the flying breeze 

Whose touch is rude, whose breath is chilL 

Where are the birds that caroled here 
Within this wooded temple's choir ? 

What mean these leaves that, brown and sere, 
Are dropping from yon arch of fire ? 

The flames, alas ! are spoiling all 
The beauty of this temple room ; 

And on each leafy, frescoed wall 

Is traced the temple's coming doom. 

What vandal hand hath wrought this thing, 
Applying here a ruthless torch ? 

What arm along these aisles did fling 

The sparks that now this grandeur scorch ? 



105 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



But, hark ! I hear a voice that speaks 
Above the conflagration's roar: 

•" The Architect in this way seeks 

His woodland temple to restore." 

So in our lives the self-same Hand 

Doth trial send, and pain and woe , 

And though we may not understand. 

Some day we shall His wisdom know. 



io5 



A MORNING SCENE 



A Morning Scene 

The morning mists, like draping veils around 
A picture fine, have risen from the ground. 

With glowing eyes I look upon the hills 
That, radiant with the golden sheen that fills 
The air these soft and balmy autumn hours, 
Are standing forth beyond, like lofty towers. 
The monuments of God, whose shaping hand 
Hath given them their form, and made them 

grand, 
Embellishing them with varied tints and gay 
That now His wondrous skill and power display, 
The hues that rainbows bear within the skies, 
That only God can paint, celestial dyes. 

And like the psalmist of the olden time. 
Whose vision saw the works of God subUme, 
Up to these hills I look for strength and grace, 
Beholding there the matchless, shining face 
Of Him who is my Father and my Lord, 
And who to me will strength and grace afford. 
For He not only doth His beauties fling 
Upon the hills, but guides a sparrov/'s wing. 



107 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



Walking at Sunset 

When sunset hues their radiant, hngering glow 
Have backward cast among the snow-white 
clouds, 

And twinkling stars their points begin to show 
Above the world and all its teeming crowds, 

I love to walk from city streets away 

To view the glory of departing day. 

For such an hour affords a charm to one 
Who in the secret of his soul doth hold 

Communion with his God ; his pulses run 

With quickened life more precious far than 
gold; 

And as the orb whose grandeur makes the day 

Sinks from his sight, his heart leaps up to pray. 

'Tis like a view of heaven's flashing gate 

That yonder clouds on fire with light afford ; 

And one can fancy that in splendid state 

Hath entered there the world's majestic 
Lord ; 

And that His train have followed on in line, 

While back the rays of sheen celestial shine. 



io3 



AMONG THE MOUNTAINS 



Among the Mountains 

Among the mountains on these autumn days 
Enraptured stood my soul, and forth did gaze 

Upon the handiwork of God : 
With more than painter's art and skill hath He 
Resplendent made the spreading scenery 

By stretching out His mighty rod — 
His rod of power within the potent hand 
That sways the sea, the arching sky, the land. 

Here hath He walked, it seemed, with stately tread 
Each rising sun and all the trees to wed, 

Till wintry death shall break the tie : 
And as each bridegroom kissed his blooming bride. 
While standing at the nuptials him beside, 

Rich blushes rose her cheeks to dye ; 
And now the varied hues of autumn time 
Have rendered all the mountain trees sublime. 

Awake, my soul, not only to admire 

These woodland heights that glow with lustrous fire. 

Enkindled by the solar rays. 
But see thy Maker's footsteps everywhere, 
For all the earth note thou His loving care. 

Then wake to celebrate His praise ! 
The King He is not only of the hills. 
With glory all created things He fills. 



109 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



Autumn on the Mountains 

The signal fires of autumn time 
The mountain sides begin to climb, 

And flashing high 

Beneath the sky, 
They tell of wintry winds and rime. 

The morning mist, the smoke that curls 
From off these fires, ascending, whirls 

Around and round 

Above the ground, 
As down the sun his radiance hurls. 

The flying leaves are embers bright. 
The sparks that seek the upper light. 

And mount the air 

To shine and flare, 
And fall below in lasting blight. 

Each mountain summit is aglow 
With burning tongues to speak of woe 

That comes apace, 

Like steeds that race. 
From distant lands of ice and snow. 



IIO 



AUTUMli ON THE MOUNTAINS 



Yet blaze, ye autumn-kindled fires, 
As blazed before your ancient sires. 

For in your flame 

I read the Name 
The angels praise with heavenly lyres ! 

As in the desert bush of old 
His glory God did there unfold 

Before the eyes 

Of Moses wise, 
So here doth beam His face of gold ! 



Ill 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



An Autumn Thought 

From out the north the sweeping air 
Is blowing fierce and cold ; 

The leaves are falling everywhere 
In showers of tarnished gold. 

The trees are losing all their pride, 
And in the v/oods and street 

They stand, 'mid desolation wide, 
Awaiting snow and sleet. 

So in our lives there comes a time 
When winds in rudeness pass ; 

There comes an hour of hurtful rime 
To blight our joys, alas ! 

But falling leaves again shall rise 

In resurrection sheen. 
Beneath the spring's benignant skies 

Unfold their living green. 

From life to death and death to life 
The plan of Nature flows : 

What seems to us the way of strife 
With heavenly wisdom glows. 



112 



AN AUTUMN THOUGHT 



Then shall not joys that strew the ground, 

Like fallen leaves that die, 
With brightness new again be crowned 

When milder grows the sky ? 

O let not faith in fetters lie, 

But let it e'er be free, 
That, like an eagle, it may fly 

In glorious liberty! 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



November 

Though oft thy days are dark and drear. 
At thee no murmuring should we fling. 

For thou hast days replete with cheer, 

That prompt the soul to laugh and sing, 
And rise, like caroling larks, on joyous wing. 

Thy trees are almost stripped and bare. 

What leaves remain are rough and worn 
But we recall the beauty rare 

That once by thee was grandly borne; 
And we are ingrates, if we show thee scorn. 

The winds that sweep along thy path 
Are often rude and fiercely chill ; 

Yet balmy airs, with naught of wrath. 
Are lingering close around thee still ; 
And these accept we as thy better will. 

Thy clouds oft gather black and low, 

And hang above in frowning guise, 
As if they wished, in falling snow, 
To bury all we love and prize ; 
But these replacest thou with glowing skies. 



14 



NOVEMBER 



What glory, in the eventide, 

Enriches all thy starry dome, 
As through it, flashing far and Vv^ide, 

The meteors leap and onward roam ! 
And, looking up, we think of God and home. 

So life itself, complaining friend, 

Hath, here and there, some worthless dross 
But God, in love, doth on us send 

What compensates us for our loss ; 
A crown of gold surmounteth every cross! 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



Somewhere 

Somewhere the light is beaming, 

Though here are shade and gloom ; 

The sun, in glory streaming, 

Doth somewhere the earth illume. 

Somewhere the flowers are growing, 
Though here each one is dead ; 

Their beauty they are showing 
Where summer hath not fled. 

Somewhere the brooks are laughing, 
Though here in ice they're bound; 

And thirsty lips are quaffing 

The sweets within them found. 

Somewhere the birds are singing, 
Though here their voice is still; 

Somewhere their songs they're flinging 
In joy from out their bill. 

For ne'er the earth forsaketh 

The Lord who reigns on high ; 

Somewhere He bliss awaketh 
Beneath His sleepless eye. 



ii6 



so ME IV HE RE 



And here the somewhere must be 
In God's appointed time ; 

He doeth all things justly, 
His wisdom is sublime. 

Then cease, my soul, repining-, 
And give thyself to song; 

Thy clouds have a silver hning, 
Nowhere the world goes wrong. 



117 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 

The Gift of Snow 
Psalm 147 : 16. 

The snow is gently falling down 
O'er all the fields and o'er the town, 
Enwrapping Nature snug and warm 
In vesture woven by the storm. 

More princely than the jewelled gown 
That Solomon wore in his renown 
Is this that God doth now bestow 
Upon the earth — a robe of snow. 

For Cometh it from Him on high ; 
His mandate flings it from the sky ; 
He spreads it up the hillside steep, 
And lays it o'er the valley deep. 

So thought the bard of Israel's day, 
And wrote the thought in living lay; 
He said, " Like wool He giveth snow, 
And scattereth hoar-frost to and fro.'' 

And as the psalmist saw the Hand 
That shears the clouds o'er all the land 
To coat with snow the naked wold, 
Likewise should we His love behold. 



118 



THE SOUND OF SLEIGH BELLS AT NIGHT 



The Sound of Sleigh Bells at Night 

Hear the bells across the snow, 
As the sleighs in swifmess go ! 
Sleigh bells, sounding music sweet, 
Ringing through the quiet street. 

Hear the jingling of the bells 
O'er the roads and through the dells ! 
Borne upon the wintry air, 
Echoes waking everywhere ! 

Hear the distant, tinkling bells ! 
Softly now they chime their spells, 
Then increase and swell the sound, 
As the riders homeward bound. 

Hear the bells across the snow, 
As the sleighs in swiftness go ! 
Ringing, jingling, tinkling all. 
Till the hours of morning fall. 



119 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



Flowers in My Study Window 

The queen of summer time hath fled, 
And tyrant Winter reigns instead 

Upon his throne of snow ; 
His sceptre waved the flowers aw^ay, 
And all the mandate must obey, 

He would no mercy show. 

But gentle hands for some made room. 
And these within my study bloom, 

In spite of Winter's wrath ; 
And though the tyrant sends the wind 
With gyves of sleet these flowers to bind. 

My windows block his path. 

Behind the glass they safely rest. 
All in their summer glory drest, 

And breathing fragrant peace ; 
Their emerald leaves and blossoms fair 
Shall have a lover's thought and care, 

Till Winter's power shall cease. 



PENNSYLVANIA 



Pennsylvania 

Of Pennsylvania, woods of Penn, I sing; 

Let all the poets in her rich domains 
To her their love, their praise, their tribute bring, 

Proclaiming her the fairest queen that reigns. 

Her Allegheny hills uplift their forms 

As monuments of skill and power divine, 

Whose rugged sides and crests have stood the 
storms 
Of centuries arrayed in battle line. 

What valleys lie between her towering mounts. 
Where villages and hamlets nestling are ! 

What torrents rush in song from springing founts,. 
Whose music wild doth echo wide and far ! 

Within her hills what stores of iron found ! 

And diamond coal within her pregnant mines \ 
Yea, every acre of her empire's ground 

Abundance hath and with it grandly shines. 

Her rivers pour along their banks a tide 

Whose blessing towns and cities gladly share ; 

And in these streams the State has royal pride, 
The prince of all the mighty Delaware. 



121 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



What forests deep and wide to her belong, 

Whose aisles, like those within cathedrals old, 

Have seen among their stately pillars throng 

The years, like priests in vestments fringed 
with gold ! 

And all her cities boast illustrious name, 

Abodes of joy and peace, and cheer and light, 

Whose many industries the skies inflame. 

When shadows fall from out the wings of night. 

May all thy sons in honor for thee toil, 

O Pennsylvania ! thou who art their pride ; 

And ever praise the glory of the soil 

On which their patriot fathers bled and died. 



122 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



Abraham Lincoln 

Emancipator of a teeming race, 
We sorely miss thy kindly beaming- face 
From 'mong the throngs that walk the rolling 
earth 

Within the land that proudly gave thee birth. 

Upon thy couch of death at rest thou art, 
Yet livest thou within the bounding heart 
Of this great nation, saved by thee in war, 
Whose banner grandly floats on every shore. 

Enshrined thy image is within the breast 
Of millions North and South, and East and West 
Who love thy blessed name, and hold it dear, 
And thy most precious memory revere. 

The kings of earth in diadems of gold 
Dominions wide in majesty behold ; 
But thou dost reign with sceptre grander far, 
Each gem around thy crown a blazing star. 

When felled in martyrdom by murderous hands, 
Thy fame was flashed abroad through all the 

lands; 
And loyalty, inspired of God above, 
Thee placed upon a ilirone of lasting love. 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



Thus reignest thou, O Monarch of the Free, 
Thy name the synonym of Liberty ; 
And thus reign on through all the coming days, 
A nation's theme of patriotic praise. 



124 



MEMORIAL DAY 



Memorial Day 

Uncover, men, hats off to-day ! 

I hear the footfalls of the dead — 
The veterans brave who gave away 

Their life, whose blood in war was shed. 

I see them marching on and on. 

While over them Old Glory plays, 

Agleam with stars and streaks of dawn : 
Uncover, men, your hats upraise ! 

They onward tramp in long review, 
These heroes of the olden days, 

Our noble soldier boys in blue. 

And mingled with them many grays. 

There is no North or South to-day. 

United all Columbia's land ; 
Forgotten now the sanguine fray 

That once each made a separate band. 

Salute them, as they pass, with cheers. 
These noble boys in blue and gray, 

Who come from out the silent years ! 
Hurrah ! hurrah ! hats off to-day ! 



1-5 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



A fancy ? Yes, but fancies oft 

Of truth the semblance are in mind ; 

At least they lift the thoughts aloft, 

And keep one's eyes from going blind. 

Imagination, then, allow 

To see these veterans on parade ; 
Salute them with uncovered brow ! 

Their glory cannot ever fade. 

And as we deck with flowers gay 

The graves where they so long have lain. 
There comes a trembling voice to-day, 

" Remember those upon the Maine ! '* 



126 



IVASHlNGTCrrS BIRTHDAY 



Washington's Birthday 

All hail the day that saw the birth 
Of one renowned in all the earth, 

And garlanded with fame ! 
A noble man in war and peace, 
Whose memory shall never cease 

To burn with lambent flame. 

His country owns his prowess rare, 
Preserves his deeds with loyal care 

And patriotic pride ; 
His bravery shall e'er be told, 
It shines in history as the gold 

Washed by the sweeping tide. 

Mount Vernon, as a sacred trust, 
Enfolds his form of sleeping dust, 

And glories in her prize ; 
Yet lives he in the breasts of men. 
And love has traced with glowing pen 

His name along the skies. 



127 



SHINING PATH IV AYS 



Let orators his virtues tell, 

And poets weave a charming spell 

Around his valorous deeds, 
Till thoughts and words in every heart 
Within the Union shall upstart 

Like germinating seeds. 

O ring, ye bells, his natal day ! 
Your echoes send on wings away 

Throughout Columbia's land ! 
Peal forth in melody his birth, 
Till teeming millions praise his worth 

Around on every hand ! 

And you, O banners, rich with stars, 
Resplendent, too, with sunshine bars. 

Upon the air on high 
Fling out your folds in waving rays 
To celebrate this day of days 

Beneath the vaulted skies ! 



128 



THE STARS AND STRIPES 



The Stars and Stripes 

From yonder mast a banner flies, 
A poem written in the skies, 

The standard of a nation free ; 
And as it waves along the air, 
A scene presenting wondrous fair, 

It in me wakens ecstasy. 

As I its radiant bands behold, 
They bring to mind the days of old, 

When battle cannon flamed and roared 
They tell of blood by patriots shed, 
And whisper softly of the dead 

Who for the land their life outpoured. 

The history of the nation shows 
In every star and stripe that glows 

Within that banner's folds of light ; 
From Maine to California's sea 
It flies in glorious liberty. 

Like eagle wings in upward flight. 



129 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



Unfurl the flag, then, every day ! 
Let sunbeams kiss it in their play, 

As from above they hasten down ! 
The sight will fire the people's heart, 
And nobler life it will impart 

To all who wear a freeman's crown. 



130 



THE FLAG OF FREEDOM 



The Flag of Freedom 

When Freedom sought from Heaven a sign 

With which to show her power, 
There came to her a voice divine 

At dawn's inspiring hour ; 
It bade her take the stars of morn 

And rays of rising hght, 
And with their hues her flag adorn, 

The blue, the red and white. 

She waved her banner in the sky, 

The standard of her might. 
And men, beholding it on high, 

Then hailed it with delight ; 
It spoke to them of breaking day, 

The dawn of better things, 
When night and every curse away 

Should fly on sable wings. 

To victory that banner led 

Against each battling foe ; 
And for its honor many bled. 

And suffered pain and woe ; 
For triumph came from heaven down 

In each successive war, 
The lustre of its starry crown 

Increasing: more and more. 



131 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



We hail this favored flag to-day, 

And wave it through the air ; 
The Lord of Hosts in every fray 

Hath given it His care ; 
It is the flag of liberty, 

The chosen of our God ; 
Where'er it floats it maketh free, 

And breaks the oppressor's rod. 

Wave on, wave on, O symbol grand, 

In God Jehovah's name, 
Till every ocean breeze hath fanned 

Thy folds of light and flame ! 
Until in all the rolling world 

No tyrant's throne shall be, 
And Calvary's banner be unfurled 

On every land and sea ! 



132 



THANKSGIVING HYMN 



Thanksgiving Hymn 

Ye people, bless the nation's Lord ! 
He doth to all his gifts afford 

Beneath Columbia's sky ; 
He sends His grace in copious showers, 
And fills our hearts and homes with flowers, 

Around His blessings fly. 

To Him lift thanks, and voice His praise, 
Like birds that sing their joyful lays. 

He is our mighty King ; 
On Him let all the people wait 
In gratitude around His gate, 

His loving kindness sing. 

Beneath His hand our fields behold ! 
See harvests rich spring up as gold ! 

Look on the wains of wheat ! 
O'er all the country far and wide 
His mercies flow in deepened tide, 

They never know retreat. 



133 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



O let the people upward rise, 

And praise the Lord of earth and skies, 

To Him make gladsome feast ! 
Give thanks to God in earnest prayer ! 
Let swing your censers through the air, 

Each soul a grateful priest ! 



134 



THANKSGIVING 



Thanksgiving 

As flowers lift their fragrant hearts 
Up to the light within the skies, 

Whose benison their grace imparts, 
So, Lord, to Thee we lift our eyes. 

Thou art the Source of all we are, 

And all we have descends from Thee ; 

Thy blessings fall from near and far. 
And rain on us continually. 

We thank Thee, Lord, that once our hand 
Did feel the pressure tender, fine 

Of those who've reached the heavenly land, 
And now upon Thy breast recHne. 

For home and friends we thanks return — • 
The hallowed spot in which we live, 

The hallowed loves that in us burn — 
For these we fervent praises give. 

For books our library walls along. 

And papers on the evening board. 
Our souls outpour to Thee a song, 

And praise and thanks to Thee afford. 



135 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



For music tones from fingers soft, 

And from the lips we dearly love, 

On which we've printed kisses oft. 

We thank Thee, Father kind above. 

For raiment and for daily food, 

And ceaseless care and ministry. 

Bestowed on us for highest good, 
We adoration give to Thee. 

For native land and freedom joy. 
And all that these do signify, 

Our tongues Thy praises now employ, 
And honor Thee, the Lord on high. 

But loftier far than all of these, 

As mountains reach, in towering height^ 
Above the level land and seas, 

There comes to view a richer sight. 

It is the Cross of Christ Thy Son, 

That calls Thy greatest gift to mind ; 

And for the victory that He won 

We struggle fitting praise to find. 



136 



BE THANKFUL 



Be Thankful 

There is within this world of ours 

Too much of grumbling o'er one's state ; 
Too many growl at thorns on flowers, 

Too many tongues the Lord berate : 
Behold the throngs beneath the skies ! 

See how some frown as on they pass ! 
They lift above no beaming eyes, 

Their hearts are hard as stone, alas ! 

Is there no cause to praise the Lord ? 

Is life a barren waste of hours ? 
Does God not one rich gift afford ? 

Does He in love send forth no showers 
Of blessing fine upon the earth ? 

O praise Him for His wondrous grace ! 
All hearts to gratitude give birth, 

And smiles be wreathed around each face. 

He has the heights of wisdom found 

Who sees the will of God enact 
All things in all the world around. 

Each form of life and every fact : 
God's goodness shines in sombre things, 

As well as in the pure and bright ; 
So, then, to thankfulness give wings. 

And upward let it take its flight. 



137 



SHINING PATH IV AYS 



A Cause for Thanksgiving 

I THANK Thee for these eyes of mine, 
O Lord, Thou Source of light ; 

And that Thou hast their vision fine 
Preserved from blindness' night. 

With these I all the sky survey, 

And all its pomp behold — 
The splendors of the eve and day 

In silvered beams and gold. 

Within their sweep the lasting hills 

That tower high are seen ; 
And all the landscape glory fills 

Their orbs with heavenly sheen. 

They view the woods, the spreading fields, 
The smiling of the streams ; 

And each of these a pleasure yields 
That paints the brain with dreams. 

Upon the varied flowers I gaze, 
The clouds that come and go, 

The autumn's hues and autumn's haze, 
And winter's fleecy snow. 



138 



A CAUSE FOR THANKSGIVING 



A thousand sights my vision bless 
In earth, in air and skies ; 

A thousand scenes with soft caress 
Embrace my rapturous eyes. 

For love-lit glances, too, I praise 
O Lord, Thy gracious name, 

From other eyes, whose kindled rays 
Have flashed in mine their flame. 

Thy gift, O Lord, of healthy sight 

Encircles many more ; 
It is an ocean of delight 

That stretches far from shore. 

Let others grumble, if they will, 
And find no cause for praise ; 

I'll thank Thee, Lord, that naught of ill 
Hath quenched my vision's blaze. 



139 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



A Call to Thankfulness 

COME, my soul, with joyful lays, 
And sing to God, thanks now upraise 

Like fragrance from the flowers : 
Let grateful adoration rise 
To Him who dwells above the skies, 
And kindness on thee showers. 

1 bless Thee, Lord, and own the love 
That sent the Saviour from above. 

The richest gift of Thine : 
The cross of Christ Thy goodness proves. 
Its scene of grace my spirit moves, 

For 'tis a sight divine. 

O Lord, give flaming tongue to me, 
That I may ever speak for Thee, 

And tell Thy wondrous grace ; 
For this may I expend my breath. 
Till comes the silent hour of death. 

Then rise to see Thy face. 



140 



A CALL TO THANKFULNESS 



E'en then, in grander world above. 
My theme shall be redeeming love 

Through endless years the same : 
I'll praise Thee 'mong the angel throngs 
That sing their everlasting songs, 

And celebrate Thy fame. 



Ill 



SHINING PATH IV AYS 



The Christmas Message 

YEl)ells of earth, ring forth the sound. 

With gladness in each peal ! 
Let music in the air abound, 

Proclaiming human weal ; 
O ring it out beneath the sky- 
That Christ hath come, the Lord on high ! 

Ye often ring most mournful knells, 
And speak of tears and death ; 

But now be merry Christmas bells, 
With joy in every breath ; 

Ye need not sorrow now, or sigh. 

For Christ hath come, the Lord on high ! 

At times ye ring a wedding peal. 

And summon happy hearts 
To come and in them ever feel 

The thrill that love imparts ; 
But now incarnate Love is nigh. 

For Christ hath come, the Lord on high ! 



142 



THE CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 



Ye bells, ring forth the message grand 
O'er mountains, vales and hills, 

Till every part of every land 
The grandeur of it fills ! 

O ring the tidings, let them fly, 

That Christ hath come, the Lord on hi^rh \ 



H3 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



A Royal Birthplace 
Micah 5 : 2, and Matthew 2 : 6 

Thou Bethlehem of Juda 

Art not the least among 
The many towns of Israel, 

For over thee was sung 
The angel song and chorus 

That told Messiah's birth ; 
Thus God hath thee exalted, 

Endowing thee with worth. 

From thee hath come a Governor, 

His rule the nations know ; 
A wise and righteous Sovereign 

For all the earth below ; 
The incarnate Lord and Saviour, 

Whose reign shall never cease; 
The everlasting Jesus, 

The mighty Prince of Peace. 



144 



A ROYAL BIRTHPLACE 



Ye bells that now are chiming 

Through all the Christmas air, 
Fail not to peal the glory 

Of Bethlehem the fair ; 
The little town of Juda 

'Mong thousands in the land 
That cannot, in their boasting, 

Parade a fame so grand. 

Like Ivlicah, Bethlehem Ephrath, 

We sing to-day thy praise, 
For out of thee hath issued 

The Ancient of the Days, 
Whose goings forth eternal 

Have lasting footprints made 
Upon the massive bowlders 

In earth's foundations laid. 



HS 



SHINING PATHWAYS 



An Apostrophe to the Bells 

Ye bells, peal it forth again, 

God's message to the earth ! 
There's peace and goodwill to men 
Because of Jesus' birth. 
O let it ring, 
And tidings fling 
Upon the air in joyous sound 
Wherever human souls are found ! 

Ye bells, hanging high above 

In steeples lofty, grand. 
Ring out, 'neath the sky, the love 
Of God to every land ! 
O let it peal 
For earthly weal, 
That Christ was born to bless mankind, 
Their hearts with golden cords to bind. 

Ye bells that were cast to mark 
The flight of passing days, 
Now call upon men to hark 
To your melodious praise ! 
Ring sweetest notes 
Forth from your throats, 
And send your thrilhng music tones. 
Abroad through all the earthly zones. 



146 



A}^ APOSTROPHE TO THE BELLS 



Ye bells, O the news relate 

Of Christ in Bethlehem born ! 
The world to redeem from hate 
By war and strife now torn ! 
Ring out the peace, 
That shall not cease, 
When all the earth the Lord shall know, 
And far and wide His grace'shalllflow ! 



U7 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



Sunrise on the Ocean 

From ocean's crystal depths the sun 

Comes forth in royal splendor bright ; 
The stars, in silver clad, are done, 

The waters glow with grander light; 
The heaving billows flash with fire, 

As if had opened gates of gold, 
While up the crimson heights still higher 

The sun his glory doth unfold. 

The radiance flames along the shore. 

And kindles sunbeams o'er the strand, 
Until the beach becomes a floor 

All glistening with resplendent sand. 
On which the breakers gladly bound 

With pearl-shod feet in dance of mirth. 
And wake the sleeping echoes round 

To celebrate the day king's birth. 

The ships that in the gloom of night 

Appeared as spectres 'gainst the sky, 
All clothed in garments ghostly white, 

Seem now like broad-winged birds that fly 
With wind beneath each snov/y wing ; 

And leaping 'long the shining main. 
The sparkling waves begin to sing 

A sunrise song of joyful strain. 



148 



ON THE STRAND 



On the Strand 

Beating on the strand, 
Waking echoes grand, 

Are thy waves, O sea ! 
From thy giant heart 
All thy billows start 

In sublimity. 

Foaming as they fall, 
Breaking as a wall 

In the sunlight's glow ; 
Thunder in their sound. 
Scattering far around 

Crystals white as snow. 

Back to where they came, 
Flashing like a flame, 

Flow they 'neath the sun ; 
Rolling in once more 
Onward to the shore ; 

Ever thus they run. 

Toss thy waves, O sea ! 
Thoughts they bring to me 

Of the mighty God ; 
In the calm or storm 
Walks His shining form ; 

O'er thee bends His rod. 



149 



SHINING PATH IV AYS 



Homeward Bound 

From out the harbor's peaceful light 

A ship went forth one day ; 
Her wing-like sails were fair and white, 

As on she sped away. 

The sailor lads were singing songs, 

Their hearts the music beat ; 
And rippling wavelets came in throngs 

Their bark to kiss and greet. 

And they were thinking of the home 

Beyond that foreign port ; 
And making pictures in the foam 

That dashed around in sport. 

In humble cottages away 

In distant, native land, 
Good wives, from windows washed with spray, 

Were beckoning with their hand. 

What scenes of welcome came to sight, 

As many days wore on ! 
Alas ! there fell a fearful night 

That never broke in dawn. 



150 



HOMEIVARD BOUND 



And still those wives are looking forth, 
Yet look each day in vain ; 

And freezing winds from out the north 
Sting widowed hearts with pain. 

And o'er another, deeper sea 
Are waving spectral hands ; 

They beckon towards eternity 
Those left in earthly lands. 



151 



SHINING PATHPVAYS 



The Fisherman's Wife 

" My heart be still ! the sea doth moan. 

Its waves are beating high : 
I fear some ill — was that a groan ? 

Hath come beneath the sky." 

Thus thought a wife, one night on shore. 

Her husband on the sea, 
'Mid billows' strife and awful roar, 

Engaged in fishery. 

The wind grew wild, its voice was loud, 
The rain came driving down : 

She hugged her child, her head she bowed^ 
A wife's love was her crown. 

The cottage door was opened wide. 
And there her husband stood ! 

Her heart, once sore, regained its tide, 
She blessed the Lord so good. 



152 



THE FISHERMMrS IVIFE 



Like lovers true, their arms they wound 

About each other's form ; 
Like lovers new, with joy around, 

They cared not for the storm. 

And with their boy still sleeping on, 

A picture fair they made ; 
And sweet employ, till hours were gone, 

The good wife's fears repaid. 



153 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



Retrospection 

My Father, one more year of life 
On me Thou hast bestowed ; 

A year of conflict and of strife, 
Yet bright has been the road. 

A year of trials, pains and tears, 
As all the years now dead ; 

But e'en in these Thy love appears. 
And blessings crown my head. 

My crosses flame with grace and love, 
My griefs all flash with light ; 

The glory comes from Thee above, 
And gilds the darkest night. 

In this Thy school below the skies 
I've conned the lesson well. 

That he who would to faith arise 
Must learn Thy love to spell. 



154 



RETROSPECTION 



Thy will, O Father kind, be done, 

Whate'er may come or be ; 
I am Thy heir, Thy chosen son. 

Thy will is best for me. 

And if the year that now is nigh 
My form with death should fill. 

My soul, through Christ, to Thee would fly. 
And praise yet more Thy will. 



155 



SHINING PATH IV AYS 



Redeeming the Time 

As shuttles quickly fly, 

So run the years away ; 
Improve each one that passes by, 

For none their haste can stay. 

The years are all a gift 

From God to mortal men, 

And when their parting wings they lift. 
They never come again. 

And when their wings are spread 

Upon the air to fly, 
Their opportunities have fled, 

And ne'er again come nigh. 

O when the steeple bell 

Rings in another year, 
It sounds for one just gone a knell. 

Laid out upon its bier. 

The years, these passing years, 
That last for one brief day, 

O fill them not with judgment spears. 
And fling their good away! 



156 



REDEEMING THE TIME 



No life is true and real 

That reaches not the prize 

Which God has stored for human weal 
Beyond these earthly skies. 

Make life a ladder high 

With rungs of flashing gold ; 

Then upward lift aspiring eye, 
And climb to wealth untold ! 



157 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



The Passing Years 

One by one from heaven above 
Come the years to men below ; 

And their pinions flame with love, 

Born of God whose will they know 

When they up to God return, 

What on them doth He discern ? 

One by one the years take flight 

On the wings of hours and days, 

Passing out beyond the sight, 

Laden oft with curse, not praise : 

One by one they quickly fly 

Up to God within the sky. 

One by one the years of grace. 

Birds with light upon their wings, 

Come to earth from lasting space, 
And each one a blessing brings : 

Let no curses on them be 

For the eves of God to see. 



158 



THE PASSING YEARS 



One by one the years take flight 

On the wings of hours and days, 

All with love are wondrous bright, 

Therefore freight each one with praise, 

As they flash beyond the skies, 

Saying to them, " God is wise." 



159 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



Contentment 

A WREATH of fame, abloom with flowers, 

And not one pricking thorn, 
Is sought by some through many hours, 

Till hope becomes forlorn : 
Some win the fragrant smelling prize, 

But wear it for a day ; 
Its beauty glows before the eyes, 

And then comes swift decay. 

A wealth like that of fabled king, 

Whose touch made flashing gold. 
Or that of storied magic ring 

Aladdin's hand did hold, 
Is wished by some, in feverish haste 

To have a plenty stored ; 
And heart and soul are put to waste. 

And finer good ignored. 

But I am like that ancient seer 

Who asked for an even lot, 
That he should have no cause to fear. 

And rest on an easy cot : 
Contentment with my station now, 

Whate'er that station be, 
Is better fame than men allow. 

And better gold to me. 



1 60 



CONTENTMENT 



And such a joy within the heart 

Behind it leaves no pain ; 
My faith in God shall e'er impart 

To me the highest gain ; 
Let men have all the world affords, 

And all its honors own, 
A mind content would make of boards 

For me an emperor's throne. 



i6i 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



Thoughts at Sunset 

I SAW the sun go down last eve, 

A great red ball of fire ; 
And ere he took his final leave, 

He gilded yonder spire. 

And as he went full out of sight. 
Still back were cast his rays, 

The kisses thrown to the coming night. 
And the pledge of following days. 

And e'en when every golden ray 

Had faded out of sight, 
The stars replaced the sheen of day. 

And beautified the night. 

Like this the joys of hfe oft fade, 
And hope almost expires, 

But others just as bright are made 
Whene'er the need requires. 



162 



THOUGHTS AT SUNSET 



Be still, sad heart, and cease from sighs ! 

Look up, and courage take ! 
The sun that now goes down the skies 

Shall on the morrow wake. 

And in a city fair above 

No darkness ever falls ; 
Eternal light and flaming love 

Emblazon all its walls. 



163 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



Evening Scenes 

I SAT within the twilight 

Beside the window pane, 
And watched the stars, like princes. 

Come forth with shining train, 
Until their flashing splendor 

Set all the sky aglow, 
And down was shed their radiance 

Upon the earth below. 

I saw the lamps of the city- 
Through all the shadows gleam, 

Then burst in flaming beauty, 
Like some old poet's dream. 

Until it seemed they'd borrowed 

From the stars above their light, 

And scattered o'er the highways 
A million jewels bright. 

I saw the lights that flickered 

In homes across the way, 
And saw their mellow lustre 

Through each apartment play, 
Till, like Aladdin's palace, 

Each dwelling sprung to sight. 
As though the arms of genii 

Had reared it in the night. 



164 



EVENING SCENES 



Then upward on the pinions 

Of faith my soul did fly, 
Beyond these lamps nocturnal, 

Beyond the stars on high, 
Until I caught the grandeurs 

That over Zion blaze, 
The eternal world and city, 

And the home of endless days. 



165 



SHINING PATH IV AYS 



The Pinions of the Lord 
Psalm 91: 4 

The pinions of the Lord ! 

What mighty pinions they 1 
To all who trust they peace afford 

Through every trying day. 

His feathers, covering thee, 

Will hide thee from the storm, 

And thou in perfect shelter be, 
And in the blast be warm. 

Let tempests rush and roar, 

And lightnings cleave the sky. 

With God above, around, before. 
No harm can thee come nigh. 

Like eaglets in their nest 

Upon the mountain height, 

The saints beneath His wings at rest 
Are safe by day and night. 



166 



THE PINIONS OF THE LORD 



He broods them with His care, 
Protects them by His grace ; 

The weakest fledgeling hiding there 
No troubhng foe may chase. 

Then trust in God, my friend, 
Thou surely wilt be blest ; 

To all thy wants He will attend, 
While in His downy nest. 



167 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



Keep Thou My Lips 

It needs no master mind to prove 
What sinful causes often move 
The lips to speak unlovely words, 
That, soon as spoken, like the birds 
Let loose from fowler's net, soar away 
Beyond recall, though hard we pray 
For them in backward flight to turn, 
That we may heal the stings that burn 
With memory's fire our hearts within, 
And daily front us with our sin. 

Our words can be like showers fine. 
Whose silver drops in radiance shine, 
As on the fields they softly fall. 
Each one a tiny blessing-ball ; 
Or like the sunbeams through the clouds, 
That earthward rush in glistening crowds 
But evil words and words of ire 
Are like the flames of prairie fire ; 
They sweep away the heart's content, 
And leave their stain, though we repent. 



1 68 



KEEP THOU MY UPS 



How deep the wisdom of the sage 
Who asked in youth and in old age 
That o'er his lips there might be set 
A watch divine, lest he forget, 
And have his tongue a master be 
To loose from their captivity 
Unspoken words upon the air 
That should no freedom ever wear ! 
I pray, O Lord, for this the same : 
My lips touch Thou with holy flame. 



169 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



Discipline 

Lord, I thank Thee for the past ; 
For all the shadows that were cast 

Along my path ; 
And none of these hast Thou in vain 
Upon me sent, though giving pain, 

Or in Thy wrath. 

For griefs, as well as joys, O God, 

1 thank Thee now ; and for the rod 

Within Thy hand 
That pulsed upon my haughty will. 
And gave me blows that helped fulfill 

Thy purpose grand. 

I thank Thee for the sorrows deep 
That often made me sigh and weep, 

And cast me down. 
For through my falling tears I've seen, 
As through a glass, the wondrous sheen 

Upon my crown. 



170 



DISCIPLINE 



The hand that smote me through the days 
Of all my life I kiss and praise ; 

For tender love, 
Like that which marks a gardener's heart. 
Was Thine, to make my graces start 

And reach above. 

Not yet, O Lord, the blossoming hour ; 
More pruning yet, more clouds to lov/er 

And bring the rain ; 
But do Thy work, Thou knowest best; 
Whatever may come, I shall be blest, 

And beauty gain. 



171 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



Higher 

Lord, my God, I lift a prayer 

To Thee with earnest breath, 
Desiring grander robes to wear 

This side the way of death ; 
For higher good my soul doth pine, 

To live with Thee, my Lord, 
And drink the sweet, refreshing wine 

Upon Thy banquet board. 

On me Thou hast bestowed a life 

That turned me from the earth ; 
From sin, from fleshly lusts and strife, 

Renewing me in birth ; 
But there are heights I yet would scale 

With eager feet and care, 
Above this lowly mountain vale. 

To breathe a richer air. 

Up where the eagles build their nest, 
And spread their wings to fly. 

Where towering peaks, in splendor drest, 
Stand forth beneath the sky, 

1 would, like Moses, gladly climb, 

And converse with Thee hold, 
Till all Thy majesty sublime 
Doth sinful me enfold. 



172 



HIGHER 



O grant to me this better part, 

My God, that I may fling 
The broods of sin from out my heart, 

Remaining there to sting; 
That I may burst the binding chain 

Which fetters yet my soul, 
And upward toil more life to gain, 

And find Thee at the jroal ! 



173 



SHINING PATHJVAYS 



The Quiet Hour 

At times within my study walls. 

While twilight from the sky 
Around me in the silence falls, 

And no one else is nigh. 
Among my friendly books I sit 

And muse of many things — 
An hour when visions o'er me flit. 

And brush me with their wings. 

It is a solemn, holy hour, 

And often thoughts assume 
The richness of a garden flower 

In full and fairest bloom : 
For through the shadows gently steal 

Sweet odors from the mind, 
That cause my waiting soul to kneel, 

And there the Master find. 

Then rising, all the room around 

Is filled with heavenly light ; 
My praying soul the Lord hath found, 

And sees His presence bright; 
And while the stars their beauty flino^ 

Athwart the skies above, 
My grateful heart to Christ doth bring 

An evening gift of love. 



174 



THY KINGDOM COME 



Thy Kingdom Come 

Matt. 6 : lo and Romans 8 : 22 
From sunny isles and snowy plains, 

From seas and oceans wide, 
From lands where sin in triumph reigns, 
And binds humanity in chains, 
A voice hath often cried, 

" Thy kingdom come ! " 

From mountain crags and peaks on high, 

From valleys deep below. 
And from the valleys to the sky 
Again and oft again that cry 

Hath told its tale of woe, 
" Thy kindom come ! " 

From hamlets nestling by the streams, 

From verdant, dewy mead, 
From cities where corruption teems, 
Where evil all the darker seems, 
Hath gone that voice of need, 
" Thy kingdom come ! " 



175 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



From cottage door, from kingly hall 

That echoes royal feet, 
From peasant yard, from garden wall 
Where marble fountains rise and fall. 

The lips of prayer entreat, 
*' Thy kingdom come ! " 

From all creation groaning long, 
From man and every beast, 
From rocks and trees, from birds of song, 
From all of nature cursed by wrong, 
That prayer hath never ceased, 
" Thy kingdom come ! " 

Why tarry. Lord, Thy chariot wheels 

Behind yon veil of cloud ? 
The travailing earth in spasm reels. 
And longs to hear the trumpet peals 

That shall proclaim aloud, 
" The king-dom's come ! " 



176 



^AIT ON GOD 



Wait on God 

O TELL me not this world of ours, 

Which now is rank with weeds of sin. 

Shall ne'er again yield holy flowers ! 

That here we shall no triumph win ! 

Though ages roll, and nations fall, 

And Christ is veiled within the skies, 

Forgets He not the world at all, 

His kingdom wide shall yet arise. 

A thousand years are as a day 

Within divinely sweeping sigjit ; 

And centuries may pass away, 

As moves along a watch of night. 

God makes no measurement of time. 

To Him eternity belongs ; 
And with a leisure most subhme 

He views the world's abiding wrongs. 

And in the day of His own choice 

His Son will come in glory clouds ; 

The saints shall hear a trumpet voice, 

And gather round their Lord in crowds. 



177 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



For then shall watchers lift the cry, 

" This is our God, His praises sing ! " 

And o'er the earth the news shall fly, 

Like birds that flit on lightning wing. 

O wait in patience for the thought 

That God in splendor will unfold ! 

His purposes shall all be wrought, 

And shine within His plan as gold. 



178 



THE GOLDEN AGE 



The Golden Age 

There are no days like by-gone days, 

So thinks the senile heart ; 
No ways there are like ancient ways, 

None now such bliss impart ; 
For when the vision back is cast, 

It sees a golden age ; 
That heart then sighs for all the past, 

And deems the action sage. 

The brightest days are coming days 

Affirms the youth in glee ; 
And on the future is his gaze, 

While present moments flee ; 
The golden age is yet to beam 

Before his eager mind ; 
And thus his thoughts with lustre gleam, 

As they their views unbind. 

But to the sensual epicure 

The golden age is now ; 
With plenty near his joy is sure, 

And pleasures crown his brow ; 
Within the present days he tries 

To taste the chiefest good. 
Asserting that the rich and wise 

Are those supplied with food. 



179 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



The true philosophy is found 

In looking up and on, 
Away from sordid, earthly ground 

Towards everlasting dawn ; 
The better life beyond us lies 

Declares the sacred page ; 
And those who look with faith-lit eyes 

Discern the golden age. 



1 80 



THE HOME BEYOND 

The Home Beyond 
John 14: 1-2 

"Ye trust in God, believe in me," 
Saith Christ to all disciples true ; 

" Let not your hearts in trouble be, 

There is a home prepared for you." 

A home it is beyond the earth, 

Above the heights where eagles fly ; 

And Christ hath spoken of its worth : 
A mansion 'tis within the sky. 

And why should righteous ones with care 
Be burdened sore, or be opprest. 

When in that home awaiting there 

The saints of God shall find their rest ? 

Within its walls no tears shall flow, 
Unless the tears of joy they be, 

For sorrow there no one shall know 
Through all the long eternity. 



i8i 



SHINING PATHiVAYS 



What songs shall break from every tongue 
In praise of God that home within, 

Far richer than were ever sung 

By any lips yet stained with sin ! 

O blessed home beyond the stars, 

Enrapturing is the thought of thee ! 

No sin thy brightness ever mars, 
For perfect is thy liberty ! 



182 



*' THERE SHALL BE NO NIGHT THERE 



" There Shall be no Night There " 

In heaven above there is no night 
To shroud the day in gloom, 

For God is there and He is light, 
And He doth heaven illume. 

No night of sorrow spreads a shade 

To pall the sunny hours, 
For joys are there that never fade, 

And never lose their flowers. 

There is no night of weeping there 
To dim the bending skies, 

For tears have ceased, and every care, 
And with them grieving sighs. 

No night of trial there descends 

To cast its shadows dun, 
For there the Christian's battle ends, 

And victory is won. 



183 



SHINING PATHIVAYS 



And there no night of death e'er falls 
To breathe its noisome breath, 

For over heaven's crystal walls 
Ne'er leaps the form of death. 

No darkness there ! no waning light ! 

O what a heaven this ! 
A heaven with radiance ever bright. 

And with unclouded bliss ! 



184 



" A}^D THERE WAS NO MORE SEA' 



" And There Was No More Sea 
Rev. 21 : 1 

Be Thou, O Lord, our friendly Guide 

Life's troubled waters o'er ; 
Our ship is frail, the sea is wide, 

And distant is the shore ; 
But with Thy hand upon the helm, 

We shall not be afraid ; 
No storm our bark can overwhelm, 

Thou hast the ocean made. 

At Thy command the tempests blow. 

And e'er Thy will obey ; 
The waves that rise Thy power know. 

Thy servants all are they ; 
The sea is under Thy control. 

Its Master strong art Thou ; 
And though the billows toss and roll. 

To Thee they all must bow. 



185 



SHINING PAT HIV AYS 



And though, at times, Thou quiet art, 

And seemingly asleep, 
When from their lair the tempests start 

And whip to foam the deep, 
Our souls with terror shall not quake. 

However rude the storm : 
The sea at Thy behest will break, 

And recognize Thy form. 

Then rage, ye winds, ye billows rise. 

If rage and rise ye must ! 
Though frowning e'er be all the skies, 

In God we'll place our trust; 
And when the voyage we complete, 

And reach eternity. 
No storms on us again shall beat, 

Beyond there is no sea. 



1 86 



A SONNET OF FAITH 



A Sonnet of Faith 

A WINTRY scene, before my vision spread, 

Stands forth to view. The fallen, driven snow 
Doth cover all the fields the clouds below, 
And wrap in pall of white the flowers dead, 
From which the hues of summer time have fled ; 
Whose fragrant blossoms now no longer blow, 
Or in the gentle winds wave to and fro, 
For desolation reigneth o'er each head. 
But with the eye of faith I upward gaze 

Beyond earth's winter with its frost and rime. 
And see the land of everlasting spring, 
Where God's eternal sunlight ever plays ; 

Where cease the sorrows dire and griefs of 
time. 
And where grim Death doth never flap 
his wing. 



187 



H 488 83 4 






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BINDERY INC. 

^ OCT 85 




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LIBRARY OF CONGRF^q " 

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